


Voltron: A Retelling

by sporkz



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (Mostly) Non-Human Paladins, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Langst, NB Pidge, Psychological Drama, Retelling, Things aren't easy for the paladins, Violence, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-10-24 17:24:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10746366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sporkz/pseuds/sporkz
Summary: I decided to re-write the whole of Voltron, adding new twists and stuff. Most of the paladins are non-human and don't all come from Earth. There will be more characters/relationships added as the fic progresses. This version will also be slightly darker than the original because that's where my mind went ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Chapters will have appropriate warnings.





	1. Night and Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, whoever clicked on this. Thanks for spending the time to read the first chapter of... whatever this is supposed to be. I really appreciate it! Anyway, without giving away too much this chapter contains: one spooky nightmare, one Cuban family written by some white English person (and on that note, if anyone sees any overly-racist stereotyping/mistakes feel free to comment and I'll try to fix it), said family being slightly jerkish and Catholic (they want the best for each other, is the best way I can justify it?), the beach/ocean, running away from home, family drama, falling into water (not drowning, but there are mentions) and there's a character thinking they're dead/dying but being pretty cool about it.  
> Again, if anyone spots anything that might upset/need a content warning, please tell me. I'm new to this kind of thing, but I don't wanna have people treading on eggshells to read this.  
> Anyway. This chapter is Lance-centric, but it'll soon collapse into different POV madness. I'll break POV switches with these little '* * *' things because they're cool. Oh, and there's a sprinkle of Langst, because I couldn't help myself. Without further ado, here's the fic!

 

* * *

 

He had been suffering the same nightmare for weeks. Floating through space, away from a fiery inferno, only to have dark, clawed hands reach out in pursuit. Then, he'd plummet to Earth under the harsh gaze of two yellow eyes.

 

Something told Lance it wasn't just a nightmare, but another something told Lance to quit being dumb and lighten up. That morning, his last morning with that particular nightmare, he groggily heaved himself out of bed. His family was talking loudly from downstairs, and he could hear his cousins' footsteps clatter down the staircase. The smell of strong coffee and fried eggs drifted into his room, and the nightmare was soon ignored for the promise of breakfast.

 

Halfway down the stairs, Lance remembered the date. It was his 18th birthday. His family would definitely let him know that, though. The expensive plane tickets and his grandma suffering the 'inferior coffee' of California for her '3rd favorite grandson' would make sure of that.

" _-I am just saying, Theo, we come all the way from Cuba to see your kid, but_ her _family? I don't see anyone!_ " Lance stood a few steps from the floor. His grandfather and father were standing in the hallway, and his grandpa was speaking in Spanish, in the usual grumpy tone used when bickering with his grandma. Lance didn't need to think about who they were discussing: he knew his grandparents, and most of his dad's family, weren't fond of his mom. He didn't understand _why_ ; other than her uselessness in speaking their language; but he'd heard that they'd reluctantly attempted to warm up to her after Lance was born.

" _I know, dad, but her family is... well, they're not around anymore, from what she's told me,_ " his dad reasoned, sighing, " _also_ , _they didn't come to the wedding, remember?_ "

_"That mockery of a wedding..."_

_"We were working under your deadline, we didn't really have any time to make it a good wedding."_

Lance's grandfather was about to retaliate, but instead spotted Lance, " _hey, stop eavesdropping!_ " he scolded, " _and happy birthday, young man._ "

 

Lance thanked his grandpa; was immediately scolded for being rusty with his Spanish; and was shooed into the kitchen to talk to his mom, and the rest of the family.

"Happy birthday, son," his mom smiled at him after his two younger cousins barreled into him whilst shrieking.

" _You may be a man, now, but you're still so skinny! When will this woman start feeding you properly?_ " his grandma quipped, tutting when one of his older cousins pulled out her cell phone and started typing at it, _"say 'happy birthday' to your cousin, Wendy!"._

 _"Happy birthday, Lance,"_ replied Wendy, without looking up.

" _No, grandma, she's starving me to death,"_ Lane scoffed, and his mother looked back at him with an amused look in her eyes.

" _Watch that sarcasm and_ e _at some breakfast!_ "

" _Okay, grandma,_ " Lance shrunk under her orders, then strode over to the stove.

"Hey, mom," he greeted.

"Good morning, Lance," she said, her British accent thicker than usual, "I made some scrambled eggs and toast for you."

"Thanks, mom," he took his designated plate and attempted to escape the kitchen.

" _Get back over here and eat breakfast with the family!_ " his grandma ordered, like every morning thus far, " _and try some of this coffee, you're an adult now,_ " she added slowly, wearing a stern smile.

 

 

The coffee was extremely bitter and his reaction made the all-female cast of the kitchen laugh. Lance realized he'd made his mistake. His grandma gave him the parting advice of not rushing into things to appear mature, and that her favored blend of coffee was best enjoyed after years of coffee experience. Lance felt that his grandma probably invented the concept of 'tough love'. She had certainly mastered it.

"Anyway," his mom spoke up, once the laughter faded, "after I've finished making breakfast for everyone, I'd like to speak with you, Lance."

Lance nodded, "alright, what about?"

"Don't worry about it, for now. Enjoy your breakfast," she said.

"Huh, okay," he dug into said breakfast, the uneasiness from his nightmare seeming to linger back into his mind from that one sentence alone.

 

* * *

 

 

_So few had chosen the right path. The path that would save them from destruction. So few were too stubborn and proud to become loyal to the true emperor. Not her. She reveled in the news of her old king dying, and her blood boiled when she heard his regents had fled._

_"I can feel her energy, Cova," her fellow Druid spoke up, just as Cova felt the energy herself. It wasn't an intimate sense, but Cova could feel the lost royal from across the cosmos. Combined energy, almost._

_"I will seek her out myself, if our sire wills it," Cova bowed, "she will be hiding one of the lions, too, no doubt."_

_"Then, I shall speak to Emperor Zarkon immediately. Prepare yourself for the journey ahead, Cova."_

_"It shall be done."_

 

* * *

 

His mom managed to steal him away from the rest of the family for a walk, half an hour later. Lance didn't feel as uneasy; he and his parents often enjoyed walks down to the beach, spent talking about their lives and troubles. It was how they all bonded together and stayed close as family. The sound of waves always relaxed him, too.

"Lance, if you ever felt anything was wrong you would talk to me or your father, wouldn't you?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Of course, mom," Lance nodded, looking out at the people enjoying the sun and waves, his mind wandered off to plans with his friends. After spending time with his family, he'd invite them all to the beach. It'd be the best birthday he'd ever had.

"Is anything troubling you at all, my son?"

"Mm, don't think so," he replied, before the nightmare crept into his mind, "well, actually, I've been having the same weird nightmare recently..."

His mom held back her sigh of relief, "what nightmare?"

"It, uh, involves space? And something burning behind me, and there's always these creepy purple claws. It's probably nothing, but-"

She stopped walking. Lance expected her to joke, or laugh, but when he looked back she wore a haunted expression. He felt bad for mentioning it.

"-mom?"

His concern brought her back, but she still looked spooked. Then, she tilted her head towards the distance. Namely, the quiet and lonely side of the beach full of caves and coves Lance explored throughout his childhood.

"Oh, Lance," her gaze turned to the ground, "the one thing I didn't want to hear."

"What?" Lance questioned, his chest tightened at her resigned, regretful tone.

"Do not worry about it. I'm just being... silly. I'm sorry for bringing any of this up."

 

His parents were strange, sometimes. Especially his mom. The kids at his school always joked that his mom was some alien, with her stiff mannerisms and cold exterior. Her movements usually seemed rehearsed. His dad was the one to provide comfort whilst his mom provided the logical and sensible commentary on the situation. She was blunt. She gave her husband and son quizzical looks when she could perfectly recite fact and explain things in great detail. She brought up Lance with weekly; sometimes daily, if they weren't too busy; 'training sessions' with strategic board games, self-defense and shooting lessons in the yard with their guns. She was an expert at those things; she'd worked for the army, she'd told him. The moment the kids at high-school found out about _that_ , he and his family were called the 'Doomsday Preppers' for the rest of the year.

Lance was hardly surprised when his mother broke into a sprint back to the house, leaving him to walk back.

 

It didn't occur to Lance that his mother was missing until the evening fell, and he'd returned from the beach with the majority of his family.

" _I'm hungry! Did your momma make anything for dinner, Lance?_ " his cousin asked, perched atop Lance's shoulders after pleading with him for a piggyback ride.

" _She was gonna order a bunch of pizzas for us,_ " he said, and his uncle puffed out his breath from behind them.

" _No home cooking? Your aunt won't want anything greasy._ "

" _I'm on a diet,_ " his aunt piped up, " _I told your dad that!_ "

Lance shrugged, making his cousin pull on his hair to remain balanced. He loved his family, but sometimes they acted... intolerant of anything they deemed 'lazy' or outside tradition. Or, rather, they didn't realize that his mom definitely had a different upbringing to them. His mom always struck him as someone who hadn't been given everything on a plate and was probably distant from her family- wherever and whoever they were.

"Hey, dad," he greeted, as the group made their way through the front door. His dad was hovering nervously around the entrance.

"Lance, have you seen your mom?" he asked.

" _Hungry! Hungry!_ " cried out the youngest cousin.

" _Ah, grandma made us all dinner,_ " his dad told the rest of the group, who quickly scampered off with either eagerness or disgruntled comments that the hostess of the house should have made something, " _she can't make anything for dinner because she hasn't been here since this morning,_ " he argued with the passing remarks.

 

Lance frowned.

"I thought she ran back home after she talked to me," he looked around, in hope that he'd find his mom leaning against the hallway's walls, or hovering on the stairs. His parents liked to play jokes, sometimes. Though, it was usually his dad more than his mom.

"I haven't seen her," his dad raked a hand through his hair, also looking around, "did she say she was coming back home?"

"She said she would 'handle'... something."

"What were you two talking about?" his dad returned the frown.

Lance shrugged, "just about stuff. I mentioned some nightmare and then she got all weird."

His dad froze, wearing an expression of concern which was slightly less intense than his mom's.

"Oh, _come on_ , dad! Not you too!" Lance complained.

"This is serious, son," his dad paused, his voice grim, "we weren't going to tell you, but if you've been having dreams..."

 

Lance's mind went immediately to _Harry Potter_ and _Star Wars._ His parents were acting like the family of the main protagonist; vague, mysterious, and secretive about something big. He laughed.

"I get it, now," he shook his head, "you two are joking, right? You're trying to make me think there's something special about me," his laugh turned into an awkward croak. Lance hadn't intended on referencing his crippling self-doubt and self-hatred, it just kind of happened.

"You _are_ special," his dad rested a hand on his shoulder, "no matter what the outcome would have been, you're still our son."

"Outcome? What outcome?"

"We didn't want this. I didn't even think _you_ would..."

"Dad, just tell me."

"Your mother, uh... that is... she..." he started out strong, but ended in a mumble. Lance tilted his head. His mother was...? British? Leaving? _Dying_?

"What?" he shrugged off his dad's hand.

"Well, she's... probably going to tell you. About everything. Even if she doesn't want to," his lips thinned, " _maybe even some things she hasn't told me,"_ he added in his mother-tongue. Lance always noticed that his dad only spoke Spanish around family, other speakers, or when he was getting choked up about something. Maybe, it was a combination of the three.

" _She'll come back, right?_ "

" _I hope so_."

 

His mother's sudden absence put a sour mood to the rest of the evening. The rest of the family began quietly theorizing what had happened, and most had reached the conclusion that the couple had entered a huge argument between them. Dinner had been tense, and Lance's grandparents had eventually called on their second-eldest son to help clean up afterward whilst everyone else entertained themselves. Lance watched his father follow his parents, his shoulders slumped. The room fell silent.

 

" _I'll be right back,_ " said Lance, half an hour after his grandparents' decree, " _just gotta head to the bathroom,_ " and he left, padding quietly to the kitchen. Something was wrong. Nobody dared to follow him.

" _-look, mother, I know things seem bad at the moment but we're better, now. This has nothing to do with... what happened. She just needs some fresh air."_

 _"Fresh air? She's been missing for seven hours! I know you two had an argument, you're_ _wearing that same look on your face from the last time I was here!"_

_"It's different, I promise. We've been a lot happier since we managed to have Lance."_

_"Out of wedlock."_

Out of wedlock. He'd never been told that.

His grandparents were strictly Catholic. Lance felt like some things about his grandparents' looks towards him made sense. That, of course, and the fact that their last visit had his grandfather chastising him for wearing make-up.

_"You had your whole life ahead of you, son. I felt like weeping when I heard."_

_"You're still too young, I could mistake you for his brother."_

_"I know you don't agree with it, but I wanted to have children with Elena. It's what the both of us wanted."_

_"If she wanted that, why has she abandoned her son on his eighteenth birthday? She's a terrible mother!"_

Lance burst into the room, without thinking.

"My mom isn't-!"

"- _doesn't even speak his dad's language properly,_ " his grandfather sighed, " _and has no manners!_ "

" _You have no manners, talking about mom! We should be looking for her!"_ Lance gritted his teeth together, and then had an idea, " _I'm gonna look for her since nobody else wants to!_ "

 

He grabbed his jacket, ran upstairs to take his cell phone with him, and left with his dad yelling at him to not leave the house. He sprinted down the road when two of his uncles, one aunt, and his stoic, older cousin chased after him.

 

Lance was good at hiding, and he felt like hiding from his family. They hid things from him. He never knew he was the bastard child. He never knew his grandparents saw him as a walking disappointment. His dad was hiding something from him about his mom. His mom was, literally, hiding. Lance had to get his natural talent at hiding from _someone_ , he guessed.

 

Nobody found his hiding place and eventually muttered curses, whistled under their breath, and returned home. Lance went to the beach. He needed to calm down before he started looking for his mom.

He went to the lonely beach, where he'd stick out like a sore thumb, but it was quieter. More reflective. Something was telling Lance to check the caves, too.

 

His mom loved the caves. She didn't get angry when she found that Lance had often snuck off to explore the caves during his childhood. His parents had inevitably found out, but his mom encouraged it. She had smiled and said that when she was younger she would have done the same. They were a mystical place. The energy inside hummed differently, and it felt other-worldly. Lance closed his eyes when he ducked and crawled his way into the nearest cave, feeling the sand beneath his feet and the cool rock on his hands.

 

Lance imagined his mom standing in the inter-most chambers of the caverns. She stood in front of a blue light. He'd never traveled that far before, but the scene was clear and felt straight out of a lost memory. Lance felt, deep down, his thoughts were onto something. His rational side laughed, why would his mom be standing in a cave for over seven hours? Lance remembered hearing that family members could sometimes sense when their kin was hurt or trapped, or _worse_. Lance remembered the time when he had swam in the ocean and been plucked out of it by his parents, just as his muscles began to tire. Lance remembered his mom crouching down to his level before she took him to his first day of kindergarten, patting his head, and saying: 'remember, my son, we must always trust our instincts if danger approaches'. She would have wanted him to follow his gut feeling, that's what she had taught him. He continued to crawl.

 

He yelped when his hands touched cold water. Not salt-water. Not stagnant water, either. It smelled fresh, like a spring. Lance opened his eyes, snidely thinking to himself that he was stupid for doing so (water doesn't create _light_ , after all). He was woefully incorrect; light filled his vision. The water glowed gold. It probably _wasn't_ water, if it glowed. He scrambled away. Radiation. He looked at his hands. Nothing was burning, yet. The adrenaline of his search vanished within an instant, replaced with pure terror.

He whispered, "I'm gonna die here," and Lance curled up, the walls suddenly smaller. He'd taken a wrong turn somewhere; the passage only ever led to a small dead end that was perfect for sitting inside with a flashlight, crayons, paper, and books about space. This new area was an endless corridor of low-hanging ceiling and glowing liquid. Unknown. Unfamiliar.

He felt drawn to the golden light. Through either curiosity or stupidity (or both), he dipped his hand into it. His skin still didn't burn, and nothing about the strange liquid felt dangerous. It just felt... tingly.

 

The third time he stretched his hand into the liquid, blue light spread from his fingertips and leaked into the golden shine. He removed his hand, and the gold replaced it. He dipped his hand back inside, and it slowly started to turn blue again.

"Screw it," he mumbled to himself, held his breath and then slid into the pool of liquid.

 

He sank faster than he would have in normal water, but he didn't feel like he was drowning. If anything, he felt like he was falling. He _was_ falling. The moment he started panicking, though, he slowed down and the blue light surrounding him gently soothed his fear. It felt _alive_. He knew it, and it knew him. Earthly energy. He descended slowly, smiling. He was probably dreaming. Lack of oxygen caused blissful hallucinations, and Lance had been traveling in a small space devoid of oxygen. He was dying, slowly, but he didn't feel scared. He was ready for it.

 

The light that surrounded him slowly became more and more narrow until it was nothing more than a narrow passage. Darkness replaced the missing light; a deep blue shade that looked heavy. Lance felt like he was sinking in the deep ocean, and the dark shadows moving in the deep blue backdrop were horrifying creatures like angler fish and goblin sharks.

 

The light carried him into a sphere of connected hectograms, glowing a different shade of blue; a more technological blue. It dazzled Lance. Then, when his vision returned, he found himself standing before a gigantic, mechanical lion.

* * *

 

 

 

 


	2. The Blue Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before other characters get introduced :^)  
> But, for now, have some confused Lance and Blue Lion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friendos. I'm gonna throw some warnings out, hopefully they won't spoil too much. Feel free to skip ahead to the chapter if you don't need/want any warnings.  
> This chapter has: a whole bunch of Langst/angst, mentions of death/dying, implied murder in the spooky sea caves, more family issues, more beach/ocean stuff, mentions of drowning, war (in space), fire/destruction (in space), mentions of blood (it's one sentence, but hey), and I think that's it.  
> As usual, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 

Lance expected to pass away immediately. Nothing in his life had any answers thus far, so why would he learn anything about the robot lion? He looked around, unsure of what to do next. The experience was far too surreal to have planned for. He just wanted to find his mom, return back to the surface world and have fun with his loved ones on his 18th birthday.

The lion stared him down, almost curiously. Lance had never felt such emotion coming from a machine before. Lance wasn't certain it was entirely a machine; something lively and raw emitted from the lion.

 

He stepped towards it, tentatively.

"Uh, hey," he greeted it, instantly feeling stupid for doing so, "what is this thing?" he mumbled to himself. He felt almost disappointed that the lion hadn't responded. More stupidity. Lance should have known that imaginary robotic lions _weren't_ going to reply to him. He sat down, somewhat relieved that he didn't fall straight through the holographic shapes.

The hexagrams kept them both trapped in the bubble, and Lance couldn't find the pillar of light that took him into the bubble. Perhaps, he thought, he was in purgatory. He sat, left alone with his thoughts. If he'd died, then his family would have to find him.

If they cared that much.

Lance pictured his body rotting in the caves. His own mistake. He deserved it. Maybe, _hopefully_ , they'd learn about his fate and the caves would be closed off. Lance wouldn't have been the first to perish exploring the caves. Once, when he'd first started high school, him and his friends had found bone fragments wedged between rocks. His high school had their urban legends of murderers stashing their victims in the caves down the beach. The caves always held that sadness to them, which Lance connected with during difficult times of his life. He always used to return home feeling calmer, ready to face whatever he'd ran from. He could no longer return. Would his family think he was murdered? Would they feel guilty? Lance hated when his dad cried. Lance didn't want his dad to weep, mourn and think that he caused Lance to disappear. Regret washed over Lance. He was supposed to be better than rushed decisions and bad planning. His mom had taught him better. What kind of idiot crawled into a cave and _died_ there? Lance. Lance. Lance.

" _Lance_ ," the voice wasn't there, but Lance heard his name.

"Mom?" he scrambled up.

 

The lion's mouth hung open and its eyes, _glowing_ _yellow,_ continued to stare down Lance. Lance spotted a walkway into the lion, where its tongue would be. He found it almost funny if it wasn't for his overwhelming urge to walk straight into the lion's mouth.

"You don't know what this thing is," he muttered to himself, "don't get _eaten_ by it."

The lion stood, the bubble expanding to support its height, and roared at Lance. Lance fell over from the sheer force of it. But, it wasn't intimidating. No, it felt more like the lion was chastising him. It was telling him to hurry up, and when he didn't move it impatiently laid back down and opened its mouth again, its eyes blinking with mechanical whirs.

 

Lance had got the message, reluctantly making his way up to the walkway and into the lion. There was an averagely sized door where the lion's throat would be, and when Lance touched one of its metal panels it slid open. The whole thing reminded Lance of a Sci-Fi movie, only _cooler_.

"This is a pretty detailed dream, huh?" he laughed at the lion, which rumbled back. It was impatient with him. Lance went through the door and into some kind of cockpit.

"Whoa," he breathed out, seeing all of the controls and the plush chair facing away from him.

"Lance, you really shouldn't be here."

He didn't expect to find anyone else in the lion, yet alone his own mother.

 

* * *

 

Elena watched her son step back in fear, confusion, and anger. She had never planned on telling him about their heritage... their duty. She hadn't even planned on him gaining that heritage, to start with. It was staring at her back; her son looked like the nobility he truly was. She had hoped it would all stay with her, that Lance would grow up with the same life as any other _human_. Elena despised to be wrong, to place hope into something after vowing to never let fate decide ever again. Fate had betrayed her, once again. Another innocent life was taken by her lack of action.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" he asked, and the distrust in his voice broke her heart. She didn't want to face her actions; it was hard enough to leave her husband and son without answers, even if it kept them safe. Her hasty plan had failed, and she felt foolish for thinking things would have gone smoothly. When did they? Elena needed to think.

"I'm sorry, Lance," she rose from her seat, the lion humming with her pain, "but I'm afraid you being here has put everything into danger."

Lance froze, and his mother knew the painful blow she had just dealt. Elena turned away from Lance, placing her hands onto the console and envisioning those that were seeking her. They weren't far. _She_ wasn't far. Elena didn't have time to consider feelings, even the ones of her own son. That didn't stop her from feeling bad, though. Humans and their customs had managed to grow on her, after many years.

"So, it's my fault? You just take off and make all of us worry, but it's _my_ fault?!" Lance yelled, and her focus was broken.

Elena was an impatient woman; many had told her that; and she couldn't act calmly when her life, and the lives of every denizen of the universe, rested with her actions. She was never an expert with difficult _human_ emotions, either. Those factors were complicating the issue further than she wanted. 

"You are an adult, Lance. You do not need me. You should have stayed away from all of this. I told you that I would handle things."

"You never said _what_ you'd handle, mom! What is this? What's with the lion... a-and the weird magic stuff? What was so bad about my nightmares? Why did you leave? What are you planning?"

Elena stayed silent. What could she tell him? She had never planned for anything, other than enjoying a short respite from her duty; starting her own family as she had always wanted, and then disappearing into the caves once she had outlived them. Elena felt regret. Her selfishness always endangered everything her people had fought for, but she had grown so tired. She just wanted to pretend, just for a moment, that she was any other human on Earth. She looked at her son, wishing she had known sooner. The signs had been there, she just hadn't _listened_. 

"Tell me everything, mom, _please,_ " he was still human, even with the hints of Altean energy that came with him. He was still inquisitive and demanding to know everything. He was still weak and fragile, mentally and physically. But, when she looked at him, she saw herself and someone else; someone from many eons ago; staring back. He had the right to know.

"Lance," she turned back, placing her hand on his shoulder- the same way Theo always did to comfort him, "I'm from a long-lost planet called Altea."

 

* * *

 

His mom was never good with practical jokes. She always laughed before the big reveal, and she liked to make it somewhat foreseeable that she was trying to prank someone. It wasn't a joke. His mom had seriously stated that she was from another _planet_. Lance laughed, anyway.

"So, you're like... an alien?"

His mom paused, then nodded, "in a sense, yes."

She pulled back her white hair; she'd said, once, that she dyed it when she was younger and had dyed it since. Underneath her hair were two pointed ears.

"Your ears are the same," she noted, looking grim about that fact. Lance startled himself by touching his own pointed ears.

"I never had those before. And, besides, that's not alien," he protested, "that's _elfish_ , are you saying aliens are just humans with elf ears?" he wanted it to be a joke, he wanted his mom to have improved with her poker-face and ability to trick him. He tried to think of how the entire scene could have been set up.

His mom hesitated for a moment and then placed her hands on the control panel of the cockpit. The lion roared and shuddered, nearly throwing Lance backwards.

"This lion was once the pride and joy of Altea," she explained, hastily removing her hands and stilling the lion, "and it is the reason why I never wanted you to share my genetics, Lance."

"Why not?" Lance curiously peered at the panel, as his mother sat back down.

"It is one of many powerful artifacts in existence, and well-known across the universe. Even after I first came here and hid it away, the universe will likely still remember it. They want it. The evil creatures that destroyed..."

 

* * *

 

_Elena remembered fire. Her brother grabbing her arms._

_"Take his lion, Elena," he had spoke, hushed underneath the sound of devastation, "we mustn't fight. I want you to flee with it, as far as possible."_

_"You'll die... the entire planet will, if we don't do something! I won't run away, not again."_

_"You need to, sister. I beg you."_

_"I want revenge, Alfor."_

_"Haven't we caused enough suffering? This is our last chance to put things right."_

_"I won't sacrifice myself for the universe, brother. Not all of us can be like_ you _."_

_Her brother closed his eyes and focused his energy. In her anger, she went to strike him but was knocked backwards by a hit from his bayard. Her brother betrayed her. She awoke as another pawn in their war, drifting through the expanses of space with nothing but herself and the Blue Lion. The Lion of Patience. The Lion of Tranquility. The Vulnerable Lion. Elena deemed her fate the worst torture designed for her; to be slotted into the role of guardian, to be hurled away from the fight and the subjects of her wrath. But, she felt the deafening silence of death from her kind, and she followed her king's orders bitterly._

 

_When she landed on Earth, she heaved herself outside. Her new mission was singed and burned, smeared in bloodstains that Elena wasn't certain she wanted to scrub away._

 

* * *

 

"... Altea."

Lance felt her pain, physically and mentally, "who did it? Who wants the lion?"

"They're called the Galran Empire," he shuddered, partially at the intimidating name but mostly at the sheer venom his mother used in her response, "they're nothing but greedy murderers, and they've likely grown stronger than ever in the past 10,000 years."

Lance jumped, "10,000 years?"

"Yes, our planet was destroyed eons ago and I've been tasked with guarding this lion since. I've also been guarding this planet, in return for its protection and... energy."

His mom continued, when Lance was speechless, "our kind do not usually live as long as I have, but some of us have an important and ancient ability at our disposal; we can transfer energy between ourselves and other living beings. I learned the technique from... an old friend of mine. And although it's taken some time for me to refine the process, I've been aging extremely slowly for the past 10,000 years. I've been taking some energy from Earth, every few centuries, and allowing it to naturally replenish itself. Almost like a battery."

Lance continued to stare, dumbfounded, "does dad know any of this?" he finally managed to choke out. His mom smiled weakly.

"Yes, your father isn't the only human to notice my... strange habits. I told him shortly that I wasn't from Earth before we planned on having a child."

"And... why didn't you tell me any of this?" he asked, unable to stop the hurt seeping into his voice.

His mom closed her eyes, looking pensive, "we'd hoped that you would grow into a regular human male, not needing to worry about your heritage. It was a foolish wish. I'm afraid you'll inherit my burden soon enough, my son."

"What does _that_ mean?" Lance frowned, "you want me to guard your lion from those 'Galra' people?"

"If it comes to that," she said, "though, that is the least of my worries. I feel they will be able to find us, now that you have come of age. Before our planet was... destroyed, the Galra were experimenting with powerful magic. They've likely discovered ways to tap into life energy; _quintessence_ ; and find its source. Our energy is different to humans, and two adult Alteans will stand out far worse than just one of us. They've had plenty of time to search the universe, too."

 

They fell into an awkward silence. Then, within moments, the two Alteans felt a sudden sense of dread. Lance pictured a hooded figure with long, dark blue hair staring straight into his soul. Somehow, he related the image to his nightmare. It had warned him.

"I was right," his mother wore a haunted look, and Lance knew instantly she'd seen the same figure, "we need to act quickly," she added, putting on a brave face.

"What do we do?" Lance shakily questioned, looking around at the lion for some kind of guidance.

"I'll need to think, leaving the planet would be foolish, so we'll need to think of a way to cloak our energy... to make her unable to detect us..."

The lion responded, wordlessly telling Lance to place his hand on a particular panel on the console. Lance followed its instructions, and his hand felt cold. When he withdrew it, the entire room seemed to rapidly drop in temperature. He felt dizzy... drowsy... sleepy...

Ice spread across every surface in the room, then outside, to encapsulate the lion.

 

* * *

 

Elena was freezing slowly, sluggishly. Her brain was too foggy to register what had happened, but the cold was coming from the lion. How? Why?

She heard someone tell her to sleep, someone familiar. A voice she hadn't heard in over 10,000 years. A freezing tear slid down her face and stuck to her cheekbone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, the chapter was a bit smaller than the last one. Chapter 3 should be out pretty soon, though, if you wanna keep reading.  
> Random side-note: Lance comes from our world/era (kind of), and through the power of fanfiction he can make references to other fandoms, I put dumb references in to stop the angst-fest and entertain myself. I can't remember if I put any in this chapter but they show up in later chapters, usually around characters that don't come from the same world as Lance. His character arc is probably gonna end up revolving around getting others to watch 21st Century Earth entertainment tbh.  
> Anyway, thanks for reading this thing. Feel free to drop any comments/feedback/whatever! It'd be much appreciated :D


	3. Garrison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the (short) one with Hunk and even more confusion :^)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been some time and this chapter is pretty short, so I'll bring out Chapter 4 shortly after posting this. Anyway, warnings for the following things: mystery illnesses/mentions of queasiness, a tiny mention of blood tests (those happen 'off-camera' though), slightly less death than before but death is pretty much becoming a staple of this fic lmfao, more ocean stuff, and (alien) gun.  
> There's also some background characters/OCs that will probably never come back, oops.

 

* * *

 

His team trusted him, and Hunk trusted his team. They'd been on plenty of expeditions before, though none held the same amount of importance as their first attempt at deep-ocean exploration.

 

The reporters chased them before they could safely get to their vessel. They'd affectionately dubbed it 'Big Cat', though its official name was 'UEV (Underwater Exploration Vehicle) B-1G CAA'.

"What do you hope to discover at the bottom of the ocean?" asked one reporter.

"Some fish," replied Lola, their communications operative, "maybe some rocks."

"It's classified," said Yuki, their biologist, and resident doctor. They were tasked with monitoring the team's health and recording potential side-effects of traveling deep underwater in their vessel. Hunk needed to work with them the most, despite their differing opinions. Yuki didn't know anything about the engineering side of things, just as Hunk wasn't well-versed on human biological traits or keeping a group of scientists, engineers, and researchers alive. Hunk just wanted to do his side of the job without any drama, and without butting heads with Yuki. They were all going to be living together for a solid two weeks in the deep ocean; replicating the conditions found in the deepest reaches of space. Their communications team was tasked with coming up with something from scratch to contact the world above. In short, everyone was busy and needed to start the mission.

"We should go," Hunk said to their commander, who nodded amicably.

"Indeed, we can arrange a press conference after this mission," the commander said, waving a hand at the reporters, "come along, team."

 

* * *

 

Hunk was roped into cooking duty within days of the expedition, meaning he missed out on a few hours of relaxation. Hunk tried not to mind; cooking usually relaxed him, anyway. The problem was the kitchen was cramped and he didn't have much to actually 'cook'. His main duty was to pick a few dry, powdery meals, mix them in bottled water and then evenly distribute them into perishable containers for everyone. He spent a little extra time trying to mix small amounts of powders into something that didn't taste like watery cardboard.

 

By the seventh day, Hunk grew tired. He didn't want to nag at someone else to prepare all the food, but he couldn't keep doing it himself. He'd been fighting with the boiler system for four hours, his arms were too tired to adequately mix seventeen packets of food powder into water. To make things even worse, something was making him feel ill. Hunk was used to getting travel sick; especially in the spacecraft simulators; but he felt long, unending stomach pangs, unlike his usual queasiness. Yuki dismissed it as muscle pains, from stretching and doing physical labor, but Hunk felt gradually worse the further down they drifted. The last day of the week was when they'd stop moving and remain stationary for the night, before slowly ascending back up to the surface. It was just a trial period to test a new vessel, and they had mission command above them in case things went wrong.

 

After dinner, things went wrong. It was a subtle change in the air that came, first. Hunk noticed everyone getting tense and shivering as if a sudden cold had swept across the team. Yuki skipped dinner to run blood tests and record any symptoms. It gradually got worse, until the entire crew was huddled together in the mess area. Hunk was different to everyone else. He didn't feel cold, and his temperature wasn't slowly dropping with every passing minute.

"I'll get blankets," Hunk said, rushing to the bunks to gather all blankets and pillows. Something made him stop and peer out of the porthole window placed mainly to entertain the crew if they couldn't sleep. The deep ocean was usually pitch black, but something below the window; and the Big Cat itself; was glowing. Hunk felt his face pale. His mind snapped to radiation; nothing uncommon in his world, but still incredibly dangerous to come into contact with. The vessel was still lowering itself slowly, towards it.

 

"I don't wanna worry you guys," he said, whilst distributing the blankets to his dazed crew, "but there's something weird beneath us, I think it might be radioactive."

Yuki sniffled, shivering whilst taking the temperature of their main pilot, "I've never known radiation to do this to people, but it might be the cause," they reasoned, "if it really is radioactive, like you think," they added, bitingly. It didn't surprise Hunk. Yuki wasn't an extremely trusting person.

Their pilot feebly moved to stand up, "then we need to stop the Big Cat from going any closer," they winced, their joints slow and cold.

"I'll do it," Hunk quickly said, "none of you are in any position to be moving, at the moment," he rushed off to the cockpit before anyone could speak.

 

From the window of the cockpit, Hunk could see the glowing object more clearly. It was an odd blue sphere; almost like a glacier; holding a silhouette of _something_ within. He stood there for a moment, mystified, then realized he needed to get himself and his crew away from the glowing object.

Hunk tapped onto a few screens, telling the autopilot to set a new course. Hunk wasn't an officially-licensed pilot, but he could easily mess around with a few controls and pilot most vehicles if their usual pilots couldn't.

"Whoa, hey, I didn't ask for that!" Hunk chastised the AI when it ignored his instructions and planned a landing on the ocean floor. He fought with it for a moment but was unable to do anything. The vessel landed within minutes, and Hunk decided to bring the computer and tech experts into the cockpit.

"We just landed!" his commander scolded Hunk, the moment he went to pick up Nebula and Marcus. They were huddled together, hands clasped tightly as if they were going to die together.

"I know, the AI changed the route," Hunk shook his head, "uh, can you guys undo that?" he asked the pair, who looked at him tiredly.

"You'll have to carry us," said Nebula, her teeth chattering, "I don't think I can move."

"W-why are you still okay?" Marcus questioned Hunk, bitterly.

"I don't know, but I'm just glad I can be useful," Hunk replied simply, then hoisted the pair up with ease, "we'll be right back, everybody. Try to stay warm!"

 

Hunk ignored the pains in his stomach, that reasonably grew worse with him carrying the tech geniuses across the ship. They were placed gently into the pilots' seats, and their hands stretched out weakly to start tapping at the control panel. Hunk was left to watch anxiously. The glowing object was a few feet away from them, now, also resting on the ocean floor.

Hunk watched it when he'd grown tired of watching his teammates trying to salvage their AI. Something really wanted Hunk to jump out of the confined space of the Big Cat and swim over to the light. It felt almost like a distress call. Hunk gulped loudly.

"Alright, that's it. I'm gonna ask the commander if it's worth sending me over to that thing," he told the pair, who kept their slow typing as if they hadn't even heard him. Hunk disappeared, going back onto the sickeningly familiar route back to the others.

 

"It'd be stupid, but I would like to know more about that 'radioactive' thing," his commander croaked, "use the Cub. If Nebula and Marcus can get us away, you'll just have to drive alongside us until our conditions stabilize," Hunk nodded at the instructions.

"Yes, commander," he patted their shoulder, "I'll try to get a sample for mission control. But, leave without me if you all need to."

"No way," said Paz, next to their commander, "you get back to us ASAP," she then dozed off. Paz was the other engineer of the team. Paz had been with Hunk since they'd graduated the Garrison Academy. Hunk patted her head.

"I'll be right back, Paz. I promise."

She smiled in her sleep, and Hunk smiled back. He'd be careful, just for her.

 

It was a stupid idea, but Hunk didn't feel at ease until he'd climbed into the small pod attached to the vessel. He'd helped design and build the 'Cub', it felt only fitting to drive her to the source of Hunk's curiosity and anxiety.

 

* * *

 

_Blue sensed the arrival of someone familiar. New, but familiar. Not like the beings affected by her ice. Another paladin. Three paladins. This one, like the other paladin she had kept safe, was missing their lion. Blue could lower her guard, though. She felt it was the time to awaken._

 

* * *

 

Hunk reared the Cub backward, as the sphere of light burst. Shards of ice erupted from it, denting his poor project and cracking the glass. The pressure of the deep ocean wouldn't allow those cracks to remain for long, so Hunk panicked. The sphere had left behind a holographic barrier; at least, Hunk hoped it was just holographic since his panic had him flying straight towards it.

 

Months of planning, calculating and building was destroyed. Hunk expected to be shattered into tiny pieces, like the cub. Instead, he was the only thing that passed through the barrier. Painfully.

"Ugh," Hunk groaned, having landed face-first onto the holographic floor. Hunk got up, trying to register what just happened. He was dry, at least. And he wasn't dead, which was always a bonus. On the downside, he had nowhere to go. The barrier had turned physical and wouldn't let him leave, from the inside. He was trapped. His only company being a strange, mechanical lion.

 

The engineer inside Hunk nearly cried at the beauty of it. It had two eyes that acted as headlights. Its joinery was perfect. And, most interestingly, it seemed to have the ability to create holographic particle barriers which allowed objects to pass through based on, he assumed, certain variables or criteria. His brain was reeling with math and theories, trying to figure out the workings of the device. It was, by looks alone, perfectly crafted. The lion wasn't nuclear, too. That much was obvious. Still, he was cautious. It was advanced technology, he didn't know why or how it ended up at the bottom of the ocean. He didn't even know if he was being monitored by the machine, or whoever the machine belonged to.

 

He jumped when its mouth opened and a woman emerged, holding some kind of rifle in her hands. It was immediately pointed at Hunk.

She wasn't exactly human, either. Her ears were pointed and her hair looked naturally white; not dyed like the latest fashion trends.

"How did you get through the field?" she barked, though seemed more dazed than threatening.

"Hey, take it easy," Hunk held up his hands, "I'm not here to hurt you, or your lion," he stated calmly. His training had taught him to negotiate, and he'd always scored the highest marks in mission simulations for calmness (as long as his peers knew what they were doing, and didn't make him travel sick).

"My... lion?" the woman narrowed her bright blue eyes, "I cannot trust your word alone, who sent you here? Where is-?" she dropped her weapon, gasping in pain and clutching her head.

"Are you okay?" Hunk moved towards her.

Her attitude changed almost instantly, "you need to help my son," she rasped, clutching his hand, "he froze us to keep us safe from the Druids. I don't know how long it's been... we're not being hunted _now_ but we're being _watched_... it's only a matter of time before she finds out we're here. You need to take my son to the Castle of Lions. I'll stay here."

"Your... son?" Hunk looked at the lion, having an instinctual feeling that there was a young man sleeping inside the robotic beast.

"He will be awaking soon enough. Take the lion. She will guide you."

"And leave you?" he frowned, "your son won't trust me if-" the woman removed her hand from his, and she fell to the ground.

"Go, _please_ ," she said. Hunk nodded, clenching his fist. He rushed into the lion's mouth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, I know. I really wanted to dedicate a chapter mostly to Hunk, though. There's gonna be some Hunk and Lance friendship ahead, too :D  
> Anyway, leave a review/constructive feedback if you want to. And thanks for all the kudos and stuff so far :)  
> Random side note: I had to fight Grammarly 10x with Hunk's name, gg.


	4. The Empire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other paladins are getting introduced this chapter, I promise.  
> And things are starting to get put into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? Ehh, sure, why not? This one is pretty long, too. Oops.  
> This chapter has non-binary alien Pidge, because aliens would have different concepts of gender/sex than humans, duh.   
> I'm also going to split the warnings up into two parts.  
> Part One: mentions/examples of an oppressive empire, loads of fear, escaping/running from said empire, mentions of destruction and kidnapping.  
> Part Two, when the POV switches: (oh BOY does this part need warnings), prison, arenas, blood, violence, death, mind games, mentions of public execution, and I think that's all of 'em covered. Generally, this chapter is pretty harsh, because it has the Big Bad and his Big Bad Empire.

* * *

 

Pidge wanted to see the sunlight. Their planet was covered in layers of thick jungle and lush vegetation. To escape the Galra, their people had been retreating lower and lower, into the bowels of the forests. It had been happening for centuries, long before any of them had been born. The Holo were prized by the Galra for their natural affinity for technology and energy; often, the Galra would raze down the thick plantation in search for refugees and snatch them up. The Holo were made to retreat further down, as higher layers of the jungle were wiped clean. They were insects burrowing underground for protection, as harsh boots kicked the dirt above them. No permanent settlements were made, but Pidge had lived in the 47th layer for all of their life.

 

They only retreated into the 46th, 45th and 44th layers when the Galra had uncovered their hiding place. In the chaos, they left with just one parent. Their other parent and their sibling had been captured. Pidge would have preferred if they'd all been captured. Such was the nature of the Holo. Their bond between one another formed the basic energy for all of their technology. Their lives of fear, terror, and loss kept them unable to fight against the Galra. The Galra allowed them to flee for that very reason. Pidge hated them. Their hatred bled across the other refugees, and their elders preached that the feline race had arrived eons ago from the wishes of the _Great Energy from Below_. That is why the Holo traveled deeper underground, in hopes of finding the _Great Energy_ and seeking its protection. The elders believed some sort of payment would be in order. Nothing needed to be considered, however, for the _Great Energy_ would only manifest itself to the Holo if they intruded into the innermost layers of the forests. There was no rush. Rushing would only lead the Galra to obliterate their entire planet in search for them. Pidge heard hushed rumors that the elders would allow groups to be captured, to keep the Galra from growing violently impatient. Pidge was fine with it, regrettably, until their sibling and parent had been caught.

 

Pidge was, perhaps, one of the only Holo that wanted to ascend the planet rather than descend. It was where two-thirds of their family was. It was where the promise of vengeance lay, too. Pidge would have wanted to be captured if it weren't for their lone parent waiting beneath the trees they climbed.

 

The Holo were, naturally, good climbers. In the old days, before Galra reign, the Holo were able to climb even faster with the aid of technology. Pidge found remnants of this technology lying in ruin across most of the 20th-15th layers; the patches that were untouched by the Galra. Pidge harvested the old technology, storing it in a hollowed-out log near their old settlement.

 

Pidge was building something. They'd been building something ever since they first ventured to the higher levels and came across an abandoned pile of Galran technology. It took them many cycles to figure things out and construct some rough prototypes, but their work was finally coming to fruition. The Holo didn't 'sleep' in the same manner as Galra and other species; they needed to rest their minds every so often through meditation, but with enough determination, they could work tirelessly and efficiently, without the need of constant breaks. Building a multi-purpose device with short notice and limited resources would have pushed any experienced Holo to the brink of exhaustion, but Pidge relented. If it could locate things and perform reconnaissance, then it could help Pidge find their missing family.

 

* * *

 

"They'll think of something, they're very clever," their parent assured Mat, their eyes barely holding the spark of hope they once had. Mat gazed at the arena-goers above them. Their energy was violent, vain and horrifying. They wanted bloodshed.

"Even if they do, they couldn't save us," Mat was shaking. The bridge between life and death was separated with a gate of thick bars. Soon, the prisoners would be hurled into the arena.

"We will perish with nothing but love for our fellow Holo," their parent closed their eyes, "and all shall feel the tragedy of it, even the senseless."

They were reading from a script, and the elders nodded sagely at the parent. There were seventeen Holo huddled together, alongside disgruntled and terrified prisoners from different planets; different star systems. They were the last of the batch; kept in clustered cells for the next arena tournament, barely kept alive so long as they all behaved. They were just the entertainment before the main show. Whatever creature lurked outside had the crowds talking excitedly and awaiting the slaughter with bated breath. Savages. Mat wanted to fight back and prove them all wrong, but Mat was a tiny, fragile Holo. The most the weak species could attempt was to stir some form of emotion from the crowd, an attempt at making them rethink their love for the empire.

They were doomed.

 

* * *

 

The Champion closed his eyes at the screams of adoration he brought with him. He prayed to the cosmos that he'd be fighting savage monsters and nothing else. The wry looks on the Druids' faces had suggested otherwise.

" _You will find this tournament very interesting,_ " Haggar had spoken, dragging her clawed finger up his mechanical arm. It had crackled painfully with magic.

" _Continue your glorious reign as Champion, and you shall be treated as such. You know what will happen if you fail._ "

 

His heart plummeted when soldiers smirked and shoved prisoners into the fray. One by one. Some shook, some looked like they had already perished on the spot. Some looked desperately into the crowd, some stared at him with wide-eyed terror. Some looked ready for battle, with an unspoken promise that they wouldn't go down without a fight. Most of the prisoners would be easy victories. The crowd was jeering and laughing. Shiro looked up, away from the curious gaze of the Emperor himself, and was drawn to a crowd of laughing and cheering children. A prisoner howled loudly and swung at him. Shiro felt the stadium shake with unbridled joy, and when he looked back down his arm had pierced through the prisoner's torso.

 

* * *

 

Mat felt sorrow. They shrunk back to their parent, as the dead prisoner hit the ground. That didn't scare them as much as the pain and regret radiating from their opponent.

"No," their opponent mouthed. Mat caught their eye. Something ridiculous told Mat to bring their hands to the core of their chest; the Holo greeting. Something even more ridiculous told Mat to brush their hands towards the killer; the kindest greeting shared among friends.

Their parent followed suit. Their elders followed. The poor killer shuddered.

 

* * *

 

And the Emperor was displeased. The crowd was confused. The soldiers were anxiously cocking their weapons up to remove the strange plant-like beings and their peaceful gestures.

Zarkon only needed to look at the arena overseer, and the overseer was arranging vicious beasts to liven up the show.

 

The arena fell silent. Shiro felt the intense, burning gazes upon the Champion. What would he do? Was he humoring his victims? Would he stand their intolerance? Shiro approached the creatures; still in their poses; and imitated them.

"I won't hurt you," he spoke, namely to the one in the middle. The one that started it.

The one looked at his arm, then searched his face with bright eyes, "thank you," they replied. Shiro smiled but was brought back to the arena and the hungry crowd with the creaking of the other gates. Three huge beasts jumped out, claws and teeth ready to ensure Shiro would break his promise.

 

* * *

 

Mat trusted the odd being; the killer. Something had stirred from them when they spoke, underneath their predatory appearance. The only thing Mat wouldn't trust was the foreign limb attached to their friend. It reeked of Galra, of vicious intent. It was incredible that the killer could turn their back and use vile technology against the beasts, without ripping the Holo to shreds.

 

The other prisoners were snatched and torn apart by the monsters the killer couldn't fight. Mat and their parent stuck close to the killer after Mat had been pulled to their side by the killer themselves.

"Stick with me," they spoke, and the mood of the arena had shifted from the usual excitement to intrigue. In the midst of all that, however, was vicious anger from their leader; in the center of the audience. It brought Mat happiness, in staying close to the killer solely to infuriate the tyrant of their people.

"Watch out!" their happiness was snatched away with the angry swipe of a monster, and they managed to tug their defender out of its path.

"Thanks," they said.

 

Mat didn't feel deserving of the thanks; they weren't fighting alongside the defender, spotting attacks for them was the very least they could do. It took them away from watching the ground, along with all the dark green blood and pieces of their fellow species that stained it. It almost took off the edge of not feeling the elders' presence anymore. The Holo believed energy; specifically life energy; was always recycled into something else. Mat could only wonder where the elders had gone, but they hoped the elders wouldn't become ensnared in anything used by the Galra. They didn't want to see where their energy would go, they wanted to survive. They wanted their parent to survive, too- that is why Mat had been holding on to their arm the entire time.

 

Eventually, just as their parent tired and slumped to the ground with exhaustion, the emperor stood. No other beasts came from the gate. Mat looked up at the defender, who smiled back.

"Thank you," Mat whispered to him but looked back at the emperor. The emperor didn't look impressed. The rest of the arena watched him. All were expecting punishment.

 

* * *

 

Shiro knew he'd suffer for disobeying orders. He didn't care, though. The two survivors were weary but looked at him with pure gratitude. Not fear. Not loathing. Something wanted Shiro to protect them, and Shiro had followed that order. He was sick of doing whatever the Galra wanted. If the emperor himself wanted to kill him, then he could. Just not the two prisoners.

"Most impressive," boomed Zarkon, who had rose shortly after some sly creature had whispered something to him. Shiro knew how the arena worked; they'd ran out of beasts to challenge him. The overseers hadn't intended on needing a gauntlet of beasts. Zarkon was forced to think on the spot, and the subtle shift of his movements told Shiro everything. He'd surprised the emperor. He'd stopped being a predictable pawn.

The crowd cheered but were silenced when Zarkon held up one hand. The crowd was as terrified as the prisoners, ironically enough. Shiro wanted them to be. They always cheered and applauded, as the strong preyed on the weak. Things were so much more different when they were the prey, when their beloved emperor started to show his true nature. An angry child watching his toys break. Shiro glared at Zarkon.

"It appears that our Champion is willing to change the entertainment," the pedestal holding his throne began to rise into the air, and deafening cheers began to sound. Shiro didn't even think; he needed to stand in front of the prisoners, he needed to protect them. Zarkon wanted to make an example to _never help others_ , to show that standing up against the empire would be useless. Whatever you were protecting would always die, in the end. The weak would always be killed. The strong had to submit to the strongest if they wanted to survive.

 

Zarkon stood before Shiro, an ugly grin twisted onto his face.

"Because our Champion is so... _fond_ of these pathetic creatures, I shall grant him their safety!" none of the three captives trusted that, not without a catch.

Zarkon provided them with the catch, "if our Champion can withstand the power of his Emperor!"

 

Legends came from deep within the Empire's history. Zarkon had been there from the very beginning; Zarkon had single-handedly conquered planets, fought entire wars... there were even tales that Zarkon needed only one battalion of soldiers to fight against the strongest of civilizations. Few had ever seen Zarkon fight in the modern age. Their emperor had nobody foolish enough to challenge him. Nobody strong enough to get past his trained bodyguards, or his Druids, or his _Champion_. Shiro had more of a fighting chance than most, but the fight was far from his favor.

 

Zarkon stared him down.

"Unless, of course, he decides his allegiance to the Empire is greater than his infatuation with these _animals_ ," he sneered, "then, he will submit and slaughter them himself."

His voice dropped, so only Shiro could hear, "perhaps that will be easier than helplessly watching them die."

Shiro straightened up, his arm poised to strike. Zarkon laughed, horribly... loudly. The crowd hesitantly started cheering. The crowd was petrified. The crowd wasn't stupid, like him. They had all the reason to be terrified of their emperor.

 

Running at him was a stupid move, so Shiro needed to wait for him to strike. The two prisoners had quietly crept away from the battle, the younger one carrying the elder. Shiro took his eyes away from Zarkon for a moment, to remind himself what he was fighting for. To save two lives. To save _any_ lives, for once. Zarkon struck him, and he felt blood ooze down his face. It stung. Shiro was flesh and bone; Zarkon seemed to be made of metal. Sometimes, he wondered how the Galra could be so obsessed with 'species purity' when their leader looked nothing like them.

"Go ahead, Champion! You are the best fighter in the arena, are you not?" Zarkon mocked, the arena was just a game. The arena was entertainment. It wasn't sitting on the throne of an empire; it wasn't controlling most of the known universe. The arena was nothing. _Shiro_ was nothing against Zarkon.

Shiro stood back, eyes transfixed on the two prisoners. He felt stupid. He couldn't save them. He'd made things worse. Their deaths could have been quick and painless. He'd turned them into game prizes, in a game he could never win.

Shiro wanted to escape. He couldn't forfeit, not whilst there was a tiny chance of survival for them. The most he could do was hope, and give it his all.

 

Zarkon was surprised when his Champion sprinted towards him, his Druid arm rose high into the air and shaped like a blade. The sheer confidence of it all took him aback, for a brief moment. Then Zarkon remembered who he was, and he threw bolts of electrical energy at the Champion. The arena warrior took it. Zarkon intended to badly injure, not kill. The killing would come after humiliation, and after the Champion had set an example. Shiro staggered to his feet, his entire body shaking with the mild shock of the attack, but persisted. Zarkon saw him coming, kicking him. Shiro grabbed onto his leg, not falling meters away but landing next to Zarkon's feet. Zarkon stomped on him, pulling his blade from his belt. It crackled with energy, mystifying the audience. Zarkon needed more flare to his fight; he'd almost forgot that he wasn't just making an example of one of his generals, but was making an example of a well-loved public figure. They needed to see that their emperor was graceful and emotionless, not barbaric. Not like the Champion. The persistence was irritating him, but their Emperor was patient.

 

Shiro persisted. His muscles and bones ached. His vision was slowly blacking out. Where were the prisoners? They'd moved. They'd vanished. He wished. He hoped. He couldn't persist any longer, not with his opponent easily bridging any gaps between them and attacking. His arena armor; slightly stronger than the prisoner's garb; wasn't protecting him. He was dizzy, and bleeding, and bruised.

Zarkon roared, suddenly, in anger. Shiro didn't know what it was, but it took attention away from him. The crowd started screaming. Shiro fell.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, I did mean things to my fave. And I changed Matt's name to sound more alien, which apparently means getting rid of the extra 't' in his name?  
> I don't even know what possessed me to invent 'the Holo' and make the Holts aliens, but it's an interesting/fun concept so I'm gonna roll with it. I think I might have seen fanart of alien!Pidge before, though, so if things start being suspiciously similar then I'll pin it down to that. On that note, I'm pretty sure there's AUs out there with alien!paladins, so I'm not gonna claim the idea as original.   
> Anyhoo, things are getting cray-cray. Feel free to leave comments/kudos, if you want. It'd be much appreciated.


	5. A Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A defected soldier defects, the Champion loses, and the Emperor loses something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have forgotten about this, oops :^).   
> Yeah, anyway, I have the dumbest name for Galra!Keith, but 'Keith' sounded too human, argh.   
> And here's some warnings: messed-up empires, an unhealthy dose of character's self-loathing, punches, abusive authorities, violent threats, general violence and knives/blades. I don't think there's any other warnings?

Screaming erupted from outside, but the soldier barely heard it. He barely heard anything aside from his own mind buzzing away with disgust. He'd been _excited_. The other soldiers had finally warmed up to him; _him_ , the pathetic half-Galra whelp. They'd managed to convince their commander; just this _one_ time; that Keev could patrol the arena with them. He'd thanked the commander numerous times, saluting and saying ' _vrepit-sa_ ' enough times to make their commander bark at him to just go, before he changed his mind. Keev had trained for six hours beforehand. He felt sick with nerves, but the others had smacked his helmet and said that pathetic little Keev wasn't doing such a bad job. The audience barely noticed his strange appearance. Keev beamed with pride when the Champion first came out, and the audience cheered. Shiro was the strongest person he knew; second only to the emperor, of course. To see him ready to fight in the arena, to finally witness all the amazing stories he'd heard, was exciting.

Until nothing but helpless prisoners came out.

 

Keev had turned heel and fled; first, to the commander. That's what he'd been taught; _return to commanding officer when things go wrong_. His officer had punched him for abandoning his post, and ordered him to go back immediately if he didn't want to get demoted and have the Druids notified of yet _another_ failure. Keev yelled that their Champion was fighting _prisoners_ , not _opponents_ , but nobody cared. Where was the empire's usual sense of honor? Shiro had that. Shiro would never fight prisoners. There was some kind of mistake.

The Druids were busy. His parents had been missing all his life. Shiro, the only other person he could turn to, was the source of his worries. Keev paced the hallways near where Shiro had walked to the arena; what had he been thinking? Had he been excited to kill defenseless prisoners? The thought of Shiro itching to murder innocents had Keev feeling incredibly sick. It wasn't _him_. He knew Shiro more than anyone. Shiro wouldn't do it. But, he was the Champion. The Champion was... _the_ _Champion_. He won any fight to please the empire.

 

He needed to get into the arena. The door loomed before him, promising treason and punishment if he opened it. He broke it open. He _wasn't_ as weak and pathetic as they told him, but he was _wrong_. The arena stretched out before him. Keev heard the screams. He heard them just as his eyes saw a lifeless body lying in the dirt of the arena.

"Shiro!" he ran, scraping his knees on the ground as he knelt over the fallen Champion.

"Take him," Keev jumped, looking back to find the emperor himself towering over him, "take him to the Druids, _soldier_!" he boomed. Keev had never picked up a lifeless body faster in his life. Not to follow the orders, but to get himself and Shiro away from the murderous aura surrounding Zarkon. The emperor wasn't someone to be respected and feared. Keev should have noticed him. He should have saluted and said 'yes, your highness!'. As he dragged Shiro behind him, he felt the intense glare of their emperor on his back. He hurried before Zarkon could think to execute him on the spot.

 

The medical bay wasn't far. The Druids were further. And they were always busy. Too busy to listen to Keev. Keev stuffed down the thought that he was disobeying his superiors. Such treachery would mean he'd never belong to the empire. Did he, anyway? It wasn't important. Not anymore. Shiro was too badly injured to face the Druids. Keev was too infuriated to play his role.

"Help," he rasped out, to the emotionless medical droids and the one organic doctor, equally emotionless. The droids plucked Shiro from his arms, easily mending torn flesh and injecting him with all manners of things. The medic stood up from her seat.

"Who ordered the patient's referral?" she spoke, flat. She wasn't entirely Galra; the same as Keev; but she wasn't his comrade.

"Myself," he replied, "he's dying!" he added, when she gave him an unimpressed look.

"Admitting higher-ranking persons of the empire to medical care is breaking imperial law, especially in the personal fleet of Emperor Zarkon," she recited, "even if the patient is 'dying', I will have to report this to-"

Keev didn't realize he was holding his weapon at her until she cut herself off, staring down at his blade.

"-get him fixed up, don't mention this to anyone, and let us go," Keev settled with saying, gripping his weapon firmly.

 

She allowed Keev to take her over to the patient, her hands raised.

"He will need to rest for a few days," she informed Keev, looking at Shiro with disdain.

"Right," said Keev, lowering his weapon as Shiro stirred, "don't move too much, you're in the med bay," he told Shiro, who jolted up regardless.

 

* * *

 

Shiro panicked.

"Take it easy, Shiro!" snapped Keith. Or, as the others called him, 'Keev'. Shiro had called him 'Keith' when they'd first met, and the name had... stuck. Shiro was pretty sure Keith didn't mind.

"How did I get here?" Shiro looked around, affirming that he was in the medical ward.

Keith frowned, "I don't know, but something actually beat you," he put a hand on his face, which burned with pain. Keith removed his hand when Shiro winced.

"Zarkon," the memories hit him, "I tried to save some prisoners from the arena, and Zarkon-" he looked around, already knowing he wouldn't see the two prisoners hovering around.

"-it's okay, he's not here," Keith looked behind him, "not _yet_."

"I need to get away from here," said Shiro, "thanks, Keith. You were a good bodyguard, but I need to go my own way."

Keith glanced at him, as if he'd told Keith something ridiculous, "go _where_?" he asked.

"Away," Shiro said, unsure himself, "I don't know. I can't just stay here."

"Then I'm coming with you," Keith replied, with absolute conviction. He was unlike any Galra in the entire empire. Ever since Keith had been assigned with joining the Champion's personal guard (his _prison guard_ , more like), he'd somehow befriended Shiro. The boy was troubled, emotional and hot-headed, but that's what made him so different. Galra were supposed to be ruthless and cold if they wanted to succeed in life. He'd turned to Shiro for help, not knowing that it made him _worse_. Shiro helped with his soldier training, and Keith snuck away from his post to chat with him. Keith ignored higher command for Shiro. Shiro encouraged it, out of his own loneliness. And the Druids _knew_. 

' _You want to keep your strange little defect?_ ' they'd hiss to him, to break him further, ' _how cruel, he'll never be content. Aren't you terrible?_ '

He couldn't expect Keith to escape the empire with him. It was too dangerous. Keith had his entire life ahead of him; his family, wherever they were, would be easier to find if he stayed with the Galra. He'd had reluctant plans to move up the ranks and gain enough clearance to know more about his parents. Shiro wouldn't be selfish. 

"It's too dangerous," said Shiro, finally, "and you wouldn't want to leave your entire life behind, would you?"

Keith paused, looking sideways, "I would," he declared, as stubborn as ever.

"Zarkon- I mean, the _Emperor_ tried to kill me. If he even knew that you're helping me, he'd-"

"-I'll come with you, so he can't hurt me," said Keith, countering him effortlessly, "I never belonged here, anyway."

 

Keith paused, then looked at the frozen medic next to him. She'd been listening to the conversation attentively.

Shiro only just noticed her.

"We're going," said Keith, "but I don't think I can trust you to keep your mouth shut."

Shiro didn't like the look on his face. It matched his emperor too closely; too much willingness to kill whatever got in his way.

Shiro seized the weapon off Keith, " _this_ is why I don't want you coming with me," he said, less caring than he intended, "you always get too _passionate_ about things."

Keith looked back at the medic, "she'll tell everyone if we leave her alive," he said, confused. Shiro couldn't blame his mentality. Galra chose logic over morals, and even Shiro had followed that path, with 'encouragement' from the Druids. Not anymore. 

"It's not right," Shiro would be patient, he'd teach Keith to think differently. Keith always learned fast, anyway.

"Even if I commit treason and refuse to speak," the medic spoke up, coolly, "they'll find you regardless."

Keith still had a firm grip on his weapon, "it'd slow the process."

"No more killing," said Shiro, his tone final, "if you really want to come with me, Keith, you need to know why I'm leaving in the first place."

Keith didn't respond. 

"This empire isn't..." Shiro began, then faltered. How could you tell someone their entire life had been built on lies? That the 'Champion' hadn't slowly rose to fame and glory by diligently serving the empire? That the prisoners weren't all rebels and troublemakers?

He wasn't sure if it was even his place to tell Keith.

"It isn't what you think," he decided to say, "it's corrupt."

Keith didn't deny anything, he just nodded, "if it's corrupt, then why don't we kill them?"

"Because," said Shiro, fighting his own urges to see the medic killed, "even though the universe would be better without it-" and the medic scoffed.

"-Better? The universe would be a disorganized mess without the empire," she argued, "traitors like _you_ only want to plunge everything into chaos."

"Even if the universe would be better without them, we won't play by their rules," he said, "that's what makes us the real traitors."

Shiro liked that word. 'Traitor'. It suited him better than 'Champion'.

Keith lowered his weapon, "fine, but if you try to stop us I won't hesitate to kill you," he said, staring at the medic.

"How merciful, how pathetic," she spoke back, her mouth twisting into a smirk, "that mercy will get you killed, for the empire has none to spare."

 

Shiro left, with Keith loyally following him. They both shared a look before closing the doors on the medic and breaking the door's panel. She wouldn't be leaving so soon. Shiro's next move was to find a way out. He hurried down the hallway.

"I'm still coming with you!" Keith said. Shiro looked back, stopping to take a breath and let Keith catch him up. He couldn't shake off Keith, even if he wanted to.

"Are you _sure_?" he asked, "this could mean you never find your family, Keith. Don't throw that away for me."

" _You're_ my family," said Keith easily, which made Shiro remember fragments of his life before; among other 'humans' in their compact little ship, sailing across the cosmos, "what do we do now?"

Shiro paused, his mind switching to all the escape plans and attempts he'd made throughout the years, "that depends, how long was I out for?"

"Not long enough for anyone to notice we're missing."

Keith looked invigorated. Something new. Something that wasn't training and insults from his fellow soldiers. Something that wasn't sitting with Shiro for hours and talking about worries and nonsense. A rebellion.

"We need to find a ship without getting killed," said Shiro, "will you be able to defend us?"

His left side burned. Zarkon had done a number on him. 

"Of course."

Shiro frowned, "against your own comrades?"

"They're not my comrades. Not any more."

"Tell me if you can't fight them."

"I _will_ fight them," he gritted his teeth together and his ears rose. Keith was stubborn, but he wasn't able to shake off years of training and bonding, even if his fellow soldiers shunned him. Shiro knew how much Keith had fought to be accepted among them. Shiro knew how hard it'd be for himself to fight familiar faces, if it came to that. Shiro had experience in killing, Keith didn't. Shiro didn't want him to.

"We'll head towards the hangar bay."

 

They were stopped midway. Keith froze.

 

* * *

 

_"I'm sorry, young one," Thace leaned down, once the Druids had filed out of the room and the soldiers had been given their duties, "your parents were good friends of mine, I'll look for them whenever I can."_

_"What do I do?" Keev had never had his ears droop so low, nor his chest hurt so much. His eyes stung, too, but his kind didn't cry. They were, usually, physically incapable of crying. Keev wanted his parents to walk through the door and protect him. His parents weren't often around, too busy with commanding legions of strong soldiers, but he missed them. He didn't even get to say goodbye._

_"You grow strong, and make them proud," said Thace, "and you serve the empire," he added, as an afterthought._

_"Okay," said Keith._

_"Tomorrow, you'll be admitted to the best academy in the entire empire. Your grandmother made sure of that. Despite your... differences to the rest of us, you will do well, Keev. It's what your parents would have wanted."_

 

* * *

 

Thace didn't attack them. Thace was an experienced soldier, proudly boasted by his commander; Prorok; as one of his greatest assets. Keith tried to hide his relief. He didn't know if he could fight Thace. Thace was one of the only ones that didn't treat him like dirt.

"It's not safe that way," said Thace, gesturing to the hallway that would eventually lead to the hangar, "there are rebels attacking the arena, unfortunately."

Shiro spoke evenly, "I've been given orders to evacuate."

Keith had to go along with that excuse, and Keith was a pretty terrible liar. He stayed silent.

Thace studied his expression, then sighed, "well, as I said, it would be unwise to head for the hangars. There are soldiers looking for rebels, and they're very... trigger-happy. You could always head for the eastern block of the emperor's ship."

Neither of them were stupid. Thace sounded like he was laying a trap. Keith narrowed his eyes, holding out his blade, "why would we do that?"

Thace looked back, "it'll be safer there. But you'll need to hurry, this ship will be docking away from the emperor's palace now that the arena tournament is... disrupted."

Shiro nodded, "I see," he said, his words speaking volumes to Thace.

Thace stopped Keith, just before they hurried off in the informed direction, "not to keep you, Keev, but I think you should take this. I'm sorry."

He was handed a small blade, wrapped in cloth, and Thace left swiftly and quickly.

 

They headed for the huge palace ship of the emperor, though Keith didn't like a moment of it. He would have left the knife behind, too, if it weren't for the strong emotions it made him feel: sadness, anger... _strength_.

"This is probably a trap," he grumbled at Shiro, "how can we trust Thace?"

Shiro shrugged, instantly regretting the pain it caused, "I don't know, but something told me he wasn't trying to trick us. We just need to find the right place."

The 'eastern block' wasn't small, by any account. It was infested with highly-trained soldiers, too, both organic and robotic.

Keith stopped, once again remembering something.

 

* * *

 

_The world was burning. He felt bitter and regretful. It was his fault. It felt like it was his fault. He should have been more patient. He should have listened._

_Blue faced him. Soothing and calming. It would have calmed him down, but his anger overpowered it._

_"It's not your fault, and it's not_ his _fault, either," said a voice, as refreshing as the blue in front of him, "let go, our time is over, now..."_

_"I'm one of the only ones left," he spoke, but it wasn't his voice, "to give power to one of them, it's... it's wrong! We should never trust them, never again!"_

_He felt searing pain. He wasn't welcome. He started the fire._

_The fire died down._

_"You've been replaced," his voice was a woman's, "not just in duty... I found someone else. I'm sorry. I said I'd never..."_

_"Don't," the blue felt sad, but forgiving, "I'm happy you did."_

_"He'll replace you," Keith felt scared. Scared of this replacement. They'd never live up to..._

_To whoever the blue light belonged to. But, the replacement was still better than Keev. He could trust the replacement more than Keev._

_"Let him in."_

_"I can't. She has to choose something else."_

_"They choose what they want..._ who _they want."_

_Keith felt the fire grow warmer; in a comfortable way; it wasn't burning him._

_"Promise me one thing," he spun around, at the biting voice that came from behind him. A woman made of smoke and mist stood, long hair whipping around in a sudden breeze._

_"I... will," he said, dazed._

_"If she accepts you, don't turn your back on her. Don't abandon her."_

_Her? Keith felt like she knew what she meant. An energy was calling to him._

_"I'll stay with her."_

_"And... keep my son safe. All of you. Keep my family safe."_

* * *

 

He was back on the ship.

"Are you okay?" asked Shiro.

Keith got up from the ground, dazed. Something was trying to guide him.

"Follow me," he said, confidence surging within him. If he followed his instincts, he'd find something great and powerful. But, above that, he'd find something that could help them.

"Did you... hear something?" Shiro queried, knowing about the super-powered hearing of most Galra. The ships were built around that; walls made to muffle sound, speaking halls built smaller than usual because Galra didn't need to have their voices projected, posters on canteens ordering soldiers to watch what they say and how loud they say it. Keith shook his head. It was quite the contrary, the ship was unnaturally silent.

"It's too quiet to hear anything," he said, "no, I _saw_ something, in my head. It's telling me where to go."

He sounded crazy. Shiro couldn't really argue with that. What they were doing was already crazy enough.

 

Keith lead them through hallways, some empty and some patrolled by drone soldiers. They were easily disposable. Shiro soon became lost and was seeing the same hallway multiple times. Keith assured him that they were different, they smelt different most the time, and eventually they were outside one huge door.

"It's through here," said Keith, studying the panel, "but I need a pass code to get in."

He needed to get through. He felt like he'd explode if he didn't.

Shiro saw the soldier tense up, "patience yields focus," he reminded, calmly, "we could try overriding it, somehow..."

Keith took one look at Shiro, then tapped on his robotic arm, "break it open," he said.

Shiro looked at him back, "you don't think that's a bad idea?"

"It probably is," said Keith, "but if it works, we'll get through faster."

"Let's try something less... impulsive," and Shiro moved to the control panel, "patience yields focus," he repeated.

Keith sighed, "I can't think of any pass codes that might work," he ran a hand through his hair; longer and silkier than most other Galra. Dark, too. He'd tried cutting it, in the past, to make himself resemble the common soldiers more. It hadn't gone well.

"I'd try 'Zarkon', if I knew how to read," Shiro dryly commented. Keith always wondered why the Champion hadn't been given basic education; Shiro told him, once, that his memory was too bad to learn anything other than fighting.

Keith wandered over, typing at the panel with ease. The code was denied.

"That's not it," he curled his claws, "maybe it's... red?"

Denied. That was obvious.

Any more failed attempts and security systems would start blasting alarms and alerts. That was the usual policy with doors and security checks. Three strikes and the intruder was caught.

" _Elena_ ," echoed in Keith's mind, and he uneasily typed it. E-L-E-N-A. A strange word. Foreign. Nothing like the harsher-sounding names found among Galra.

Zarkon. Thace. _Keev_.

The way Shiro said his name was better, less harsh. Ending with an 'f' instead of 'eve'. He liked it. He was happier as 'Keith' than 'Keev'.

The panel blinked purple, and the door opened.

"What did you put?" asked Shiro, impressed.

"A name," he shrugged awkwardly, "'Elena'."

 

Through the door was a long, lonely corridor. It felt unused. Keith felt something pulling him down it, like an impatient child tugging at his sleeve. Hurry up. It was impatient.

"Does this 'Elena' have something to do with your vision?" asked Shiro.

"I guess," replied Keith, "there was fire, and this woman spoke to me."

"Galran?"

Female Galra were rare, which gave them a mystical image. Galra had stopped breeding (frequently) centuries ago, and more males were around than females. Keith didn't know much about his mother, but she was revered just for being born from a chemical miracle in the lab. The perfect mate for a Druid's son. Powerful genes combining to make... him. Keith wasn't revered for being conceived and born the 'traditional' way; that much was blamed for his odd, mixed appearance. As if the commanders were any different.

No, the woman wasn't Galran. She was too odd. Too soft.

"No," replied Keith, "she was just a hazy figure, but she looked like... uh, one of you," he gestured to his form. And wasn't that form treated as a spectacle among the empire. Endearing, almost. So expressive. So hairless. So soft. Ugly, but cute. But vicious. The more Keith thought about it, the more he realized his fellow Galra had regarded Shiro as another pit beast.

" _Human_ ," Shiro said, "I think, that's what we used to call ourselves."

" _Hu-man_ ," tried Keith, stumbling on the foreign word, "there were more of you?"

Shiro nodded, closing his eyes, "I can't remember, but I think there were. It's where I come from. A ship full of 'humans'... mostly."

"Your old family," they stopped at another door, which wasn't locked with another pass-code. Keith was relieved, he didn't think another epiphany would strike him.

Shiro stayed silent. He was thinking about something, something Keith felt he shouldn't ask about. Shiro snapped out of it, giving a reassuring smile towards Keith, and the pair walked into the next room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I've done to Keith and Shiro's relationship. If you ship them, don't expect any more than this, though. I'm kinda 'meh' towards shipping it.  
> Anyway, what will lie beyond the door? Who is Elena? Will Keith use his sick new blade to slice tomatoes?  
> Find out next time! Maybe...  
> (Random side note: I hope I'm doing the characterisations some good, I haven't watched Voltron in months so I'm kinda rusty)


	6. Cryostasis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Lance take an emotional trip to the Castle of Lions, and try to catch up with things along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lonnng chapter. Have some warnings, if you need 'em: mentions of death, extremely brief mentions of vomit because Hunk (nothing happens, though), hinted panic attack/s, and xenophobia (kind of?).

 

* * *

 

It didn't take Hunk long to find the strange woman's child. In the seat of the cockpit was a chunk of ice, slowly melting and pooling onto the floor. Inside the ice was a human silhouette.

"Okay, man, let's get you outta here," said Hunk, placing one hand firmly on the ice, absent-minded. The ice began to melt faster, cold water rushing onto Hunk's shoes. Hunk winced, and his hand fell through the ice. Or, rather, the slushy wall between him and the woman's son.

 

* * *

 

Lance felt like someone had disturbed his sleep with cold water. His mom did that, once, when he'd overslept for three hours and she'd panicked. He blearily opened his eyes, his clothes drenched in cold water.

"Mom?" he was being held in someone's arms, though they felt larger and stronger than his mom's. It was somebody new. He looked up, his vision blurred slightly, and saw brown with streaks of orange, gold, and white. It was a blurry outline of a face with a yellow headband. He was wearing some kind of uniform, too. Something military-styled, but nothing Lance could recognize from any particular country or military.

"It's okay, your mom told me to get you," the person's voice rumbled. Even if he hadn't said that, Lance felt like he could trust the stranger.

"Who are you?" his vision returned, and he took another look. The young man was more softer-looking than he'd expected; soft eyes, soft face and soft hair.

"Hunk Garrett," Hunk introduced himself, "what's your name?"

Hunk was looking at him with an odd look, as if he'd never seen another human being before. Except... he _wasn't_ human. Lance still needed to get used to that. He touched his ears, cringing. Hunk cleared his throat.

"Lance," said Lance, "uh, thanks for catching me?" he flushed, standing up shakily and trying not to slip on the water-logged floor.

"No problem," chuckled Hunk, "anyway, your mom said not to worry about her, and we need to get to the Castle of Lions, know where that is?"

Lance looked around, at the water on the floor and the remnants of ice across the room. He remembered, vaguely, what had happened. They were in a blue lion. The lion had spoken to him. Him and his mom were being chased, him and his mom weren't _human._ An evil empire was trying to snatch the lion for themselves.

Now, this 'Hunk' wanted them to go to the Castle of Lions, whatever that was.

"Never heard of it," said Lance, "where's mom?"

Hunk looked like he was expecting that, "well, she said to hurry, but she talked to me just outside. Come on."

 

The door to the outside wouldn't open.

"The hatch at the top," muttered Lance, to himself, and rushed back to the control panel. Hunk followed, then spotted a particular button, "I don't know what this thing does, but I really wanna press it," he told Lance.

"That lets you see outside," said Lance, without even thinking, "how did I know that?" he asked himself, afterwards. He pressed the button, and both of their hearts sank.

"The barrier... it's gone," Hunk searched the screen, for any signs of life in the dark, "the door must be shut because of the water pressure," he added, panicking, "Lance, you gotta fly us out of here!"

Lance sat in the pilot's seat, "but, mom," he was staring at the screen frantically, "if she's out there, then-!"

 

Suddenly, lights turned on around the control panel; glowing blue; and two exterior beams of light came from the lion's eyes. It cut through some of the darkness outside, casting light onto rocks, shards of metal and slimmers of aquatic life. The lion sprang upwards, knocking Lance into his seat and sending Hunk against the wall.

"Give a little warning!" cried Hunk.

"That wasn't me!" replied Lance, "sorry, man!" he added. They were hurtling out of the ocean, high into the air and into the clouds. Lance looked for controls, but soon learned that the lion would fly wherever he willed it. Forward. Down. Down. Lance was gliding across strange buildings; nothing like his neighborhood, aside from the odd familiar building that looked _older_ than usual.

He felt stupid for asking Hunk; who was holding down his lunch; but spoke regardless, "uh, dumb question, but what year is it?"

Hunk wobbled over to Lance, "ugh," he grunted, holding his stomach, "lemme try not to puke," he held up a hand.

"It's still 2016, right?" asked Lance, weakly. Everything told him it wasn't. Lance didn't want to think about that.

"2016?" Hunk sounded just as confused as Lance, then took one look at the t-shirt and jeans Lance was wearing, "oh, whoa, I didn't even realize! You're from 2016!? I didn't know people from space were-"

Lance dug his nails into his palms, "-what year is it _now_?" he repeated.

Hunk looked down, "sorry, but... it's 2204."

 

The lion plummeted to the ground, down and down... scraping against rock and earth. It landed, gracelessly, into the mountain range that used to be far higher above the sea.

"Lance," said Hunk, creeping over to shake the stunned teen, "Lance!"

Lance couldn't stop thinking. Nearly 200 years had passed. His family was dead. His friends were dead. Everyone he knew, everyone he'd ever met, was dead. He didn't think humanity would still be around for two centuries. He didn't even consider that time passed, that lives were finite.

His dad had died without seeing his son grow up. His dad had died without ever seeing his wife again. His grandparents had died without ever seeing their useless grandson again. Did they move on? Did they look for him?

Did they even know the truth about his mom?

"I froze us," he whispered to himself, "now they're all gone."

His mom had gone outside the lion; had Lance dropped the barrier and drowned her, too? The lion slowed, drifting across the sky lazily. She was patiently waiting for him to compose himself.

Hunk rested one hand on his shoulder, "I shouldn't have said anything," he said, sadly.

"No," Lance shook his head, "I would have found out, sooner or later. It just... hurts," Lance winced as his voice broke, then he furiously chided himself for getting watery-eyed. He needed some comfort, and although Hunk was a stranger, he was all he had at that moment. Hunk accepted the hug easily.

 

Lance cried, pitifully, until his head was aching and feelings of fear began to settle in. He put aside his grief, shoving it into the back of his mind patiently. He had worse things to worry about. The 'Druids' that his mom warned him about. Guarding the Blue Lion from the 'Galra', and their empire.

"Sorry," he rubbed his eyes with his hands, "that was probably weird for you, right?" he laughed nervously at Hunk. Lance had only cried in front of three people: his parents and his 'friend'. Lance was never sure if they were more than that. Lance supposed, bittersweet, he'd never know. He was close enough to her to cry in her arms, though. And vice-versa.

Hunk smiled back, patiently, "no problem, you feeling better?"

"Not really," shrugged Lance, but he smiled back, "but I guess we need to figure out where this 'Castle of Lions' is."

 

A small part of Lance; he was learning to trust that part; nagged at him that the Castle of Lions was home. Or, his _mom's_ home. The destroyed one.

"Maybe the lion knows?" Hunk suggested, as they aimlessly flew through the clouds.

Lance looked up at Hunk, "man, you have some good ideas once your stomach settles," he whistled, making Hunk laugh.

"I'm on one of the best research teams this planet has," he held his hands up, "I should get back to 'em, once we've done whatever we have to do."

Lance turned back to stare at the control panels on the lion, he felt jealous. Hunk had somewhere to return. Lance had two forgotten worlds.

"I guess I should fill you in on the details, huh?" he spoke quietly.

"It'd help," Hunk patted his shoulder, "but there's no rush, buddy. You tell me when your head is clearer."

Lance shrugged, "sometimes my dad says my head is empty, or I daydream too much."

He cursed under his breath. He'd end up crying again if he kept talking about his family.

"Good imagination," countered Hunk, quickly, "anyway, how does this thing work? Do you have some kind of telepathic bond with it?"

"I don't know," said Lance, "really, I'm new to all this. Mom only said I wasn't entirely human a few... centuries ago," he faltered.

"But it's felt like hours to you," Hunk said, "I'm sorry, Lance."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I feel sorry for you."

"Don't," Lance rested his hands on the controls, "please."

Hunk nodded. He didn't push it any further. Lance wondered if everyone in the future had learned how to respect boundaries and be nice.

"It looks like some telepathic bond to me, almost like... that weird ancient thing, with all the words and non-science stuff."

"Magic?" Lance supplied.

"Yeah, _magic_ ," Hunk nodded, chuckling at the word, "I mean, it's probably advanced science, but let's just call it 'magic' for now. Maybe if you tell it where we need to go, it'll fly us there."

Lance went to comment that the process was just 'like Google maps, then' but stopped himself. That was a can of worms he didn't want to open.

"Let me try that," he said, instead.

 

Much to both of their surprises, the lion took off with the small command Lance issued. It went into space, traveling further and further until the Earth was a tiny dot and the pair were both panicking.

"This is far!" yelled Hunk, "uh, I need to get back home!"

"I don't know how far it is!" Lance scrambled around in his seat, looking for nothing in particular, "maybe, we should-"

His call to return to Earth to take a break and think about everything was rudely interrupted. A burst of energy smashed into the lion's face and made the vessel shake vigorously.

"Ugh, that wasn't funny," Hunk groaned, face green.

"I'm not laughing," said Lance, feeling coldness in his blood. Another ship was in front of them; rusted and old.

"They don't look friendly," commented Hunk, towards the bedraggled woman visible inside the ship. Lance didn't need to guess that she was a Druid; everything about her was mystifying and sinister. She seemed to yell something, driving straight towards them with energy crackling in two cannons of the ship. Lance pulled away, narrowly avoiding the two balls of energy that shot out towards them. Then, he rode towards her, the lion clasping her ship in its jaws.

 

The Druid squirmed out of the lion's grip, one of her cannons getting dislodged in the process.

"Elena!" her face appeared on a screen near their exterior visuals, "you will surrender your lion, and you will bow to the will of Emperor-!" she scowled at the pair.

"-sorry, wrong person," Lance said, "thanks to you, my mom isn't here."

"Of course," her lips moved into a smirk, "another heir lives. A weaker one."

Lance went to rip the ship apart; the witch wasn't worthy of mercy; but he let her cackle and move away.

"You stay right here, young one. Your death will be much more painless."

She fled, disappearing into a ring of purple light.

"That wasn't good," Hunk said.

"It wasn't," Lance agreed, "and heir? What was that about?"

"I was about to ask the same thing," Hunk started pacing, "you really don't know what's going on here, huh?"

"I've just turned 18," Lance laughed, "two hundred years ago, my mom turns around and tells me that she was from some destroyed planet, and the destroyers of said planet want this weird metal lion in their empire, and then I froze us to keep that _hag_ from finding us. It's like _The Last Airbender_ and _Star Wars_ had an illegitimate baby, which is what I am, apparently."

Hunk scratched the back of his neck, "you had me until that last sentence. So, you're definitely... an alien, like she was?"

"The future hasn't met aliens yet?"

"Oh, we have," his expression turned to fear, "they like to visit every so often, and whenever they do our attempts to get into space get... _tampered_ with. We've lost entire squads and research archives, thanks to them. Your era managed to reach Mars, but we keep getting held back, even with better technology. The furthest we've gotten humans is Juniper, which is embarrassing. Some aliens- sorry, I mean  _space people_ , show up as 'tourists' and sniff around the place like they own it."

Hunk paused, then went red in the face, "that doesn't mean you're bad, Lance. You're different."

Lance resisted the urge to laugh. Some things never changed. Humans always mistrusted _some_ type of foreigners.

"I'm only half-alien, anyway. I've lived on Earth all my life."

" _Half-alien_ ," Hunk shook his head in disbelief, "that's pretty quark."

"Quark?"

"Uh... it's pretty... 'weird'."

"When you put it that way, 'quark' sounds better."

"It _is_ pretty quark."

 

Lance remembered their mission: to get to the Castle of Lions. Them lingering around, following the witch's instructions, unsettled him.

"You ready to go?"

"Where?"

"Wherever."

Hunk shrugged, "I'll have to be," he looked out, at the small blob that was their home planet, "guess my friends will worry, but _this_ is some seriously heavy stuff. It'd be stupid to let you go out there alone."

"This feels like a movie," Lance said, focusing on the lion for a brief moment. His focus was broken by his own thoughts.

Hunk grinned, "like those old stories of space royalty and bringing down evil space empires?"

"Space royalty?" Lance rose an eyebrow, "are you comparing me to _Princess Leia_?"

"Is that... a good thing? No offense, just with all this talk about being an 'heir' and you getting some extinct robot animal, it makes me think you're a long-lost space prince."

Lance burst into laughter, "that's a good one, Hunk. I'm the least royal person on _any_ planet!"

"You could be the only royal on our planet, all of that's been abolished now."

"Not surprising," shrugged Lance, "are you all under one religion now?"

Hunk remembered the mission: to get Lance to the Castle of Lions.

"Get us to your castle, space prince, and I'll tell you."

Lance snorted, "I'll try, just to see if you're all worshiping _Science_ , now."

 

* * *

 

Lance was becoming friends with Hunk quickly, considering they'd only met an hour previously. Hearing his passionate rant about religions being as passing as fashion trends told Lance that Hunk cared about people. As he listened with fascination at Lance's retelling of his grandparents witnessing the moon landing and all kinds of worldly events, Lance found out Hunk was an exceptional listener. And, when Hunk started calculating the raw power it took for them to be traveling past planets and asteroids rapidly, Lance learned that Hunk was incredibly smart.

Their lion slowed down, halting just in front of Saturn.

"This is _max_!" Hunk gasped, drinking in the sight from their cramped cockpit, "I'm the first human to see this in real-life!"

Lance curled up in the seat. He was stupid. He felt stupid for _worrying_. About everything. He felt stupid for feeling useless and nothing. And for being okay, then _not_ being okay.

"Huh," he cleared his throat, his mind screaming at him to snap out of it because the universe didn't have _time_ for his shitty mental health, "so that's what Saturn looks like."

"It's stunning!" Hunk beamed, "this is what we'll be fighting for, getting your Lion away from the generic, evil empire. So they won't mess any of _this_ up."

"We're calling them that from now on," Lance nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat, "the GEE."

"We'll have to convince the people at the castle to adopt it," Hunk chuckled, "and, whilst we do that, maybe we can take a break. You deserve one."

"Maybe," shrugged Lance, turning his chair slightly to Hunk wouldn't see his choked-up expression.

 

He was filled with some hope. Hunk had probably developed some theory that Lance and his emotions fueled the lion, and the only way to get them to their goal sooner was to instill as much positivity into the 'space prince' as possible. Lance didn't mind, he needed some positive vibes- even if they were just a means to an end.

His lion finally sensed his mixture of hope, grief and quiet helplessness. Perhaps it decided that it wouldn't let Lance suffer as much, that it'd take some of the burden. It projected blinking text in an unknown language, but Lance read them as co-ordinates and a request to follow them.

"Go ahead, girl," he patted the control panel affectionately, and his lion roared. After a moment, a brief pause where Lance felt dumb at nothing happening, a series of dark blue and white circles appeared in front of them. Some form of portal. The lion was urging Lance to enter it.

"Does that lead to the castle?" Hunk spoke up, mystified.

"Hopefully," said Lance, "think we should try it?"

"If _you_ think so," reflected Hunk, "I think we should."

Lance nodded, flying into the swirling vortex in front of them.

 

* * *

 

The two Earthlings looked at the planet. They'd been thrown through a wormhole, only to find... Earth?

Hunk squinted at the image. No, it wasn't Earth. The moon was larger and closer to the planet, and Hunk couldn't make out any of the usual continents.

"That isn't Earth, is it?" Lance sat back, sounding disappointed.

"Taking us in a huge circle would be kinda quark," Hunk liked that word, even though it'd gone out of fashion years ago. Lance seemed to enjoy using it, too. Hunk tried to imagine how the boy felt; being two hundred years in the future. Lance was coping better than Hunk would have.

"Yeah, it'd kinda defeat the object of having some fancy space portal," Lance commented.

"So, where are we?" Hunk peered at the screen, trying to notice anything he'd been taught about the observable universe.

"Don't know, hopefully near the Castle of Lions," said Lance, "I guess we should fly down to that planet and see what's up."

"Right," Hunk nodded. He wasn't sure what they'd find 'up', though he assumed that was just another one of the boy's weird, antique sayings.

 

Hunk almost felt jealous of how easily Lance flew the lion. If all the history classes and internet archives were true, then the average person in 2016 didn't exactly have hovercraft and accurate spacecraft simulators. Lance couldn't have been a pilot, but he flew like one.

"I'm feeling stirred up, for some reason," Lance shuddered, "ugh, I need to quit being so emotional."

Hunk frowned. His society had people taking bite-sized pills that halted emotions, or instilled people with artificial emotion. Junkies of those pills were often seen on the streets, combining anger and happiness, or sadness and fear. It was exciting, apparently. The closest thing some of them had to fun.

"Embrace it," Hunk patted his shoulder, "some people back home get their tear ducts surgically removed so they can't cry."

"God," Lance sighed, unseriously, "I wish that was me."

Hunk had no idea what that meant, but he assumed Lance was joking. He seemed to like jokes.

 

The planet was slowly coming into view. They broke past the atmosphere with ease, sailing smoothly across mountain tops and leafy forests.

"This place looks _prehistoric_."

"Yeah," Hunk agreed, "where are we headed?"

"This way," Lance gestured to the screen vaguely, "I'm following my gut instinct."

Hunk refrained from telling Lance that his gut didn't have any instincts. It was either a figure of speech or an old belief, like all those theories on black holes and biology.

"I'll trust that," Hunk encouraged, "hey, look, there's some settlements," he pointed at the pinpricks of buildings slowly appearing below.

"We have civilization, that's something," Lance nodded, "and I think... that's the castle."

 

Among all the green, blue and spots of civilization, the white building stood out. It was perched near the ocean, and as the lion drew closer to it, the details were more outlined. There were four turrets surrounding one main tower; not shaped like the pictures of conventional Earth castles found in archives, but still holding grandeur. Some kind of half-ruined bridge connected the castle; and its little tower of land; to the mainland. Gleaming white buildings were dotted around, looking different from the main 'castle', appearing as if they were paying tribute to the structure.

Hunk stared, mesmerized.

 

* * *

 

The mere sight of the Castle of Lions; and Lance _knew_ it was the Castle; brought strong emotions to him. His lion descended gracefully, then knelt before the castle.

"Lance?" Hunk asked, sounding nervous. Lance snapped out of it, wiping the tears that had escaped.

"My face is getting moisturized today, from all this crying," Lance commented, in an attempt to lighten the mood. His voice had cracked and sounded upset, though, so it hadn't worked.

"Come on, man, let's see if anyone's home," Hunk was kind. Kinder than anyone he'd ever met. Lance nodded, shakily getting to his feet. He vowed to himself that, after they completed their mission, he'd find some water and take a long bath (at the very least) to calm his nerves.

 

The lion's mouth opened and ushered the pair out. Its eyes were no longer glowing, though Lance could tell she was sleeping; or whatever the mechanical lion equivalent of sleeping was. She had dropped them off right at the front door of the castle. A huge door, overgrown with vines and moss.

"I'm gonna knock," said Lance, less pathetically and more like his usual joking self. Hunk laughed.

"Go ahead, maybe it'll work," he replied, grinning.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," his mom often said that, usually when it came to gross-looking food and potentially dangerous activities, like rock climbing or deep-sea diving. Lance was (mostly) fearless as a result. He didn't feel intimidated by the size of the door, easily striding over and knocking it loudly.

 

The door rumbled, blue lights flickering. Then, the Blue Lion got up and roared. The door opened after that.

"Thanks, Blue," Lance turned back, easily coining the nickname. It rolled off the tongue.

"It's dark in there," Hunk commented, looking into the castle and its long, darkened hallway.

"Maybe they like to save on their energy bill?" Lance shrugged, also looking at the bleakness of the hallway ahead.

"Or, they could be asleep," Hunk reasoned.

"They're getting a wake-up call, then," and Lance walked inside, Blue following loyally. Hunk followed, to avoid getting trampled by Blue.

 

As the trio walked, lights flickered on.

"This is creepy," Lance shuddered. Blue stopped walking, sitting obediently. She had ran out of ceiling space.

"Alright, girl, you stay here," said Lance, "or go wherever you're supposed to go."

Blue backed down the hallway, purring in appreciation.

"It's so _alive_ ," Hunk watched the feline machine, "whoever built it must have been a genius!"

"She acts like a cat," Lance said, feeling pride wash over him; the lion had chosen him, he was _special_ , "I've always wanted a cat."

"They're cute," Hunk nodded, approvingly, "we have two cats, back home, Einstein and Sagan."

They started walking again, "awesome, you got photos?" Lance latched onto the promise of a normal conversation. It took a second for him to even consider that Hunk's era had gotten rid of cell phones, cat videos, and selfies.

Hunk reached into the pocket of one his belt-bags, "I smuggled this into my team's mission, personal devices are usually prohibited," he sounded embarrassed, "but this has all my stuff on it," the device was just a white frame, with a holographic screen appearing when Hunk poked at a button at the top of the frame.

"Sweet," they stopped, so Lance could study the device.

Hunk easily navigated across screens appearing around him, pulling up a hologram of two cats playing. Lance went to touch it, his hand falling through.

"Whoa, don't touch the holograms! Those things can burn, you know," Hunk swatted his hand away, "sorry, I forgot you don't know that."

"It's fine," Lance watched the holographic cats disappear, alongside all the screens. Hunk pocketed his 'personal device'.

 

Lance had so many questions, but no time to ask them. They needed to explore the castle; another world entirely. Lance wanted to know more about the planet they'd left behind, he was with someone who _knew_ those things. Nobody was around to put his extra-terrestrial heritage into understanding.

"This place is _fancy_ ," Hunk said, as the hallway led them into a hall with a grand staircase. At the top of the stairs, beyond the balcony railings, were doors on the left, right and center.

"Through here," stronger feelings hit Lance instantly, the moment he saw the center door at the top of the stairs. He stepped on some sort of panel in the middle of the hall, triggering a cyan light to surround him and Hunk.

" _Halt for identity scan_ ," a robotic voice fizzled from nowhere.

"I'm halting!" Lance put his arms up, as lines moved up their bodies.

" _Altean detected, unknown species detected,_ " red surrounded them both, " _initialize defense protocol?_ "

Lance shook his head, "nope, don't do that," he replied quickly, "we're friendly!"

There was a low-toned beep, then the red light vanished, the doors upstairs opening.

The two 'unknown species' exchanged relieved expressions.

"I take it back, I think this place hates us," Hunk said.

"I can't blame it, we _are_ trespassing... sorta."

 

The pair hurried through the main central door, into what felt like an elevator.

"Medical bay," Lance spoke, without thinking but with _feeling_.

"Medical bay?" Hunk questioned, as the doors shut and the room started to move up.

"I just have this feeling that someone is there," Lance replied, "like, how I knew my mom was with Blue."

"Huh," replied Hunk, simply, "well, your 'feeling' has gotten us this far."

"I just hope this'll be the end of it," Lance said, though felt it was far from the end of their little adventure, "I'll make sure we take you back home, Hunk."

"Don't worry about that," Hunk shook his head, "I chose to help, it's my fault if..."

He trailed off, looking down. If he met a similar fate to Lance. Lance wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"I know I've just met you," Lance replied, awkwardly, "but, I think you're a good friend."

"Thanks, man," Hunk said, as the elevator doors opened, "you're a good friend, too."

 

Beyond the elevator was another hallway, already illuminated by wall lights, and then a big circular room with tall pillars. In the center of the room was some kind of pedestal with a panel. Lance walked over, placing his hand onto the panel. The pod-like structures around the room began to open, and Lance ran to catch one of the two people that fell out of them.

 

A beautiful young woman fell into his arms, and Lance would have shamelessly flirted with her if it weren't for the fact she vaguely resembled his mom.

"Hey... you," he greeted, instead.

The woman looked up at him, blinking, "who are _you_?" she squinted.

"Lance!" another voice rang out, happily, "and we all thought you hadn't made it!"

Lance had a stranger ruffle his hair, and when he looked at them the hair ruffling quickly stopped.

"Does this mean... we won?" the woman steadied herself, smoothing off her dress and studying Lance.

The stranger, a man with a curly mustache, was frowning deeply, "my apologies, son, the back of you looked just like an old friend of mine."

"My name _is_ Lance," Lance replied, "who are you two?"

The man put a hand to his chin, "my name is Coran, royal adviser, and this is the Princess Allura; daughter of King Alfor."

Princess Allura folded her arms, "who are _you_? And who sent a youngling and strange non-Altean to rescue us?"

"I'm Lance, like I said," Lance replied, "this is my friend, Hunk, we're both from Earth."

Hunk walked over, "his mother sent us, with the lion."

"My mom has been defending the Blue Lion from the Galra," Lance said, almost as an afterthought, "that's, uh, why we're here."

Allura paused, "then, that means..." her face fell.

"The empire defeated Altea, and King Alfor had to scatter the tools to stop them," Coran finished her sentence, also looking forlorn, "Lance, where is your mother?"

Lance looked to Hunk for answers, who sighed sadly, "we don't know, she told me to take Lance and the Blue Lion away from Earth, and when we tried to look for her she was gone."

"Lost at the bottom of the ocean," said Lance, "probably... not with us, anymore," he said, resisting the urge to add 'like everyone else'.

"Your mother... she must have been our heir; the younger sister of King Alfor, Princess Elena."

Allura looked haunted, "then, you're my cousin, Lance," her eyes watered, but she pushed her emotions to the side and kept her regal expression.

Lance nodded, not feeling particularly excited at the prospect of being a prince of a destroyed kingdom, "my mom was called Elena, she looks just like you," he gestured at Allura mildly, then stared at his feet.

Allura took his arms, "how long was your mother on 'Earth'?"

"Thousands of years," replied Lance, looking at his newfound cousin, "but she mentioned that Alteans don't live for that long, she stayed young by transferring energy from our... _that_ planet, and she was guarding the Blue Lion from Druids."

Coran hummed nearby, "your mother was very gifted with life energy; pretty perceptive, too."

"The Druids know about Lance," added Hunk, urgently.

"They'll know about us, too," Coran frowned, "even though Lance has just turned to an adult, judging by the shape of his markings, the Druids will be able to _easily_ hone in on our energy readings."

Allura looked around, "is there anyone else here?" she asked the pair.

Hunk shook his head, "nobody we know about."

"We need the Lions, if the Druids arrive," Coran started to twirl his mustache nervously, "princess, what do we do?"

Allura looked down, "I don't know, Coran. I fear it's been thousands of eons... who knows how strong the Galra have become?"

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam, chapter end. I've been hoarding the next few chapters for a long time, hopefully, I can update more regularly. As always, thanks for any reviews/kudos/whatever, and I'll see y'all next time for some small pigeons (hint hint).


	7. The Green Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge looks for a power to save their people, whilst Lance and Hunk uncover their destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a pretty long chapter, with a focus on Pidgey. I'm being lazy today, so I won't include warnings. There's the odd mention of death, but that's about it, as far as I know. Just say if you feel anything should be pre-warned, y'all.

* * *

 

Pidge carried their device back to the small settlement. They returned to chaos.

"Pidge!" their parent cried out, running to them, "I can't feel them anymore, and the enemy returns!"

Pidge had felt the nagging hole in their chest. The mourning sweeping the village turned that hole into an abyss of emotion.

"Mat..." they clutched their chest, "they _can't_ be gone, life-giver."

"The elders' voices were disappearing slowly, all throughout the cycle, and then they fell silent. That is when the scouts saw the Galra were preparing for something."

Pidge felt their chest sink, their device was useless. It couldn't locate the dead.

"We must hurry, Pidge, leave everything behind. We are descending."

 

The descent was quick and frantic, and many Holo slipped on tree branches to fall to their deaths. Pidge resented the Galra. They had them falling like dirt through hideous claws. Their work had been for nothing. Their creation lay smashed and broken in the layer that had likely been torn up.

And, when they were hidden away, the Holo dug themselves into the ground and slept until their grief had only slightly subsided.

 

Life continued. Pidge was faster than most, and was tasked with scouting out the upper levels for signs of Galra. They kept pursuing. Through the 43rd to the 30th layer. Then, the squadrons of soldiers were ordered to return to the surface and await better technology to cut through the forests. Pidge returned to their familiar territory; the graveyard of technology in the 20th to 15th layers.

"We should seek the Great Power," their fellow Holo were whispering, as the elders banned slipping any lower into the forests. Pidge returned to their newest settlement to those whispers, holding as many fish and bugs as they could carry. Food was more abundant in the lower levels; where the animals were undisturbed and thrived in the darkness. The Holo were being attacked by predatory animals and evaded by quick prey.

"There's nothing else to lose," their parent commented, as Pidge gathered sticks and started a fire for them both, "Pidge, I know you go to the lower levels. What is it like there?" they were away from the elders, both made sure of that.

"It's dark," said Pidge, "but there's loads of things, loads of tech," they said. Sometimes, they'd felt cold metal beneath their feet, as if there was an entire city lying beneath them. Pidge didn't acknowledge it, though. Holo were supposed to be useless and weak. If they got too cocky, if they knew too much...

"Do you ever feel the Great Power?"

"No," Pidge shook their head, their feathers ruffling, "but it feels different. Like another energy is there."

Their parent hummed, "my child, Pidge, I sense you will be the one to find it. I believe you will find the Great Energy. I just pray that you will be careful."

 

The entire village willed it. Pidge felt like they had to _try_ to find the Great Power, even if they didn't believe in it. Where had it been when the Galra attacked? Where had it been when Pidge lost their family?

Still, it was all their people had left. They left for many cycles; climbing down, trying to navigate unfamiliar territory. They'd return to their parent, seeking their energy when they were lost, and their parent would weep in relief to find _one_ of their hatchlings safe.

 

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Pidge whispered, before one expedition into the depths of the forest. This one felt _final_. Pidge didn't know if that was good or something terrible.

"I will be proud that you did your best to save us," their life-giver held Pidge, "and I'll hope for your return, as I always do."

Pidge rested their foreheads against their parent's chest.

"I'll come back, I promise," they said, and reluctantly broke away. The villagers handed them all the weapons and tools they'd crafted. Pidge had became their savior, as the elders had scorned them and scrambled to regain their power. The elders watched Pidge with beady eyes, filled with hatred. The youth would defile the Power, they'd cause ruin to all Holo. Pidge was too arrogant for their own good. But, they were the quickest and the most agile of the few left, and the Holo were desperate. The elders couldn't convince the others to remain patient, not with scouts finding glimpses of Galra above them.

 

The first few layers were familiar, and Pidge gripped their spear as they wandered down the arms of the trees. Slivers of light slotted down from above, every so often, and Pidge bathed in the sunlight. They'd heard tales of the planet's surface being coarse and rough from the two suns, that ancient Holo had once lived in gleaming pods that reflected the sunlight and dazzled visitors. Their eyes had shrunk from lack of sunlight, as generations had fled underground. The sunlight was harsh, but Pidge was adjusting their eyes in hopes of seeing _anything_ on the surface. Not many others dared to look up, in case something looked back down. The occasional shadow shifted across the light. Pidge imagined Galra strutting around, commanding legions of Holo, who cried out for help. Calls from the surface were rare, though, and the refugees below the forests were certain that their captured siblings were transported far away from their homeland.

Would the Great Power bring them all home? Would the Great Power gift Pidge with the ability to smite Galran forces?

They continued, gripping their spear.

 

Pidge descended lower than ever before, and started to find streams of blackened water. Rocks, _caves_. Engraved with strange markings.

Pidge needed rest, settling in the caves. They tried to ignore the deep growls that sometimes erupted nearby, meditating with their spear within reach.

 

The creature appeared on the 9th cycle, when Pidge had gotten lost in all the hazy darkness. It was tall, with coarse hair, and two golden eyes that terrified Pidge. It approached the Holo, grunting softly. The sloshing of water indicated that it was walking through the streams and rivers.

It picked Pidge up, effortlessly, and dropped them into a wooden container.

 

The container bobbed down streams, the creature pushing it patiently. Pidge looked at its eyes for light, hoping to all energies that it wasn't a cruel Galra taking it to the surface, to be enslaved. They had the same eyes. Though, the creature was slower and calmer. Pidge reached out to touch its fur, finding its arms holding the container. Its hands were clawed, but the claws were filed down considerably. It grunted, the wooden container halting.

 

Energy was burning through a cluster of plants, stronger than anything Pidge had ever sensed. The Great Power.

Their guide, the creature, moved past them and started clawing at the plants. Pidge imitated it, as the plant began to peel away slowly.

"Are you the Great Power?" they questioned the cocoon of vines, their mind buzzing with the energy before them.

"Please," said Pidge, "my people are in danger, we need your help."

The vines peeled away rapidly, rumbling with a force that the surface likely felt. The creature grunted lowly, as light burst above and down to the source of the power.

 

It looked like an idol of the Galra; sharp teeth and ears. But, it felt small and quick, like the Holo. Pidge yelped when it roared, its head tilted upwards. The roar would definitely attract the attention of the Galra above them. But, the creation's energy sung to them, telling them that it was alright. They had succeeded. The being; the _Lion_ ; would help protect the Holo. The lion would bow to the whims of Pidge.

"Thank you," they said, climbing up it with ease and jumping through a hatch in its head. They were met with blinding lights. Screens made from obnoxious green light.

 

Many birth-cycles ago, Pidge and Mat explored the various levels of the forests. They found all kinds of things: broken weaponry, old tools, technology from their kind and other species. Once, they'd even found an old Galran cruiser.

" _Pidge_!" Mat had ran over to them, after the young hatchling had climbed aboard the cruiser and happily started pushing its various buttons, " _that thing is from the surface, it could take you away!_ " their sibling scolded, then yelped as the vehicle hovered and zoomed off.

Pidge had been both terrified and exhilarated. Their talons had scraped against all the controls; some made the vehicle even faster, some lifted it into the tangled vines and branches, one of them slowed the vehicle to a halt. Mat had broken one of the rules of their village; calling loudly and wildly for Pidge, in a way that might have attracted any Galran hunters.

" _I'm fine!_ " said Pidge, hopping down from the cruiser and climbing down a tree trunk. The vessel was trapped among all the branches of the trees above them, wedged between three of the tall, green plants.

" _Luckily_ ," Mat replied, checking their younger sibling for injuries, " _let's head back, and not mention this to our parents... are you hurt?_ "

Pidge had shook their head, and they'd forgotten about the botched flying lesson.

 

Sitting before the control panel of their Lion brought the memory back to Pidge. They needed to go _up_. Something was telling Pidge that to help their people, they needed to get the Lion away. Far away.

"If you're really the _Great Power_ ," spoke Pidge, "we can't let the Galra take you away from us," their hands rested on the control panel. With a rumble, the Lion agreed and shot into the air. Pidge cried out, startled, and held onto their seat for dear life.

 

Pidge began tapping at the panel, once the Lion had started ascending more smoothly, bringing up a screen that showed the outside world. Pidge wasn't sure what they expected, but their feathers puffed up in fury at the state of their planet. It was stripped bare in some areas, and the upper-level forests were pale and sickly. Metallic buildings were thrown across the landscape, with dark purple ships and crowds of unrecognizable Holo. Pidge didn't feel anything from these inhabitants, other than coldness. It was like watching the dead walk among the living.

 

Soon enough, just as Pidge started to test the mental controls of their Lion, they were being pursued by an entire fleet of deep purple ships. Pidge imagined their Lion racing ahead, gliding across their lost Holo as a symbol of hope. The Lion followed their image, roaring to attract more attention. Then, Pidge looked up at the pale green sky. The light was almost blinding. What lay beyond the sky?

The universe, the true clutches of the Galra. The invaders had descended from the sky, according to legend, just as the Great Power and the Holo themselves had.

A series of unknown text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

"I don't know what that means!" Pidge rolled their Lion away from bouts of enemy fire, whilst calling out at the machine with desperation.

An image appeared in their head. A sphere of deep shades and colors, moving closer and closer... a strange structure. The home of the Lion. That is where Pidge needed to go.

"Take us there," Pidge closed their eyes, moving their hands off the control panel.

Their Lion roared, soaring higher and higher until the fleet could follow them no longer.

 

When Pidge opened their eyes, they were racing through an inky backdrop filled with rocks and debris. Out of nowhere, there was a burst of light and then a circle filled with blue light.

Pidge willed the Lion to go through, sensing more Galra chasing them. Pidge tried to avoid thinking about leaving their parent behind, abandoning their mission to find their sibling and other parent. That could wait, just for a moment. Their Lion felt more important, somehow. Beyond anything Pidge could possibly worry about.

 

* * *

 

They had two lions and one paladin. Allura could see her cousin as a paladin; following in his mother's footsteps. Still, it wasn't enough. They needed Voltron.

"Coran," it took her a moment to think, to take all she had been taught in ruling _armies_ and defending her people, "we need to get our defenses up and running, before anything else."

"Right, princess!" Coran nodded earnestly, "I'll head to the command center and run some checks!"

Allura nodded, then turned to their visitors; her cousin and _his_ friend, "you two, I promise I'll explain anything you don't understand, but first I need your help."

"No problem," replied Hunk, "what do you need?"

The princess mused for a moment, "well, I'd like to know where the castle landed. If you wouldn't mind, you could both gather intelligence for us."

Lance nodded, "I'll take Blue."

"Hm," Allura studied her younger cousin for a moment, "only if you're confident that it won't fall into the wrong hands."

Lance looked outright offended, "me and Blue have a strong bond, she wouldn't leave me that easily!" he defended, making Hunk chuckle.

"I'll keep a watch on them both," he said.

Allura allowed herself to smile; they were both decent company despite their dire situation, "I'll join Coran and keep communications open between the castle and the Blue Lion."

 

* * *

 

Blue had waited patiently outside for them.

"There's more than one lion," Hunk remarked, "Allura and Coran weren't entirely relieved to see just us."

Lance nodded, "and Coran mentioned something about needing 'all the lions'."

"What do you think they do, when they're all together?" Hunk asked.

Lance had grown up with video games and TV shows like _Power Rangers_ and _Transformers._ And when he hit his early teens, he'd gone through the usual 'anime phase'. His answer felt ridiculous, but he said it anyway.

"Maybe, they all make... one bigger lion? To save the universe?"

Hunk looked like that was a valid theory, much to Lance's amusement, "why are you smiling like that? It sounds accurate! Different parts of one deadly machine, it'd make sense if they weren't all kept in the same place."

"Don't you have video games in the future?" whistled Lance, "I can list, like, ten games that follow that formula... it's too _weird_ to happen in real-life!"

"Don't worry about that, for now," Hunk dismissed, "but, for the record, we still have video games. And some of 'em still follow that 'formula'."

"I always thought it was cool," Lance huffed, "but, in practice, it's annoying. If we need more lions to fight the G.E.E, then it would have been more convenient to put them all in the same place!"

"Hey, they could be," the pair walked into the Blue Lion, "who knows? Maybe you'll get to fly two lions."

"No way," Lance chuckled, "you could have the spare."

 

* * *

Hunk laughed back, trying to imagine himself with the same bond Lance had with Blue. He was an engineer; he understood technology and could usually make things do what he wanted, but _flying_? The flight simulations at the academy hadn't been kind to him. Not to mention, he was just one human; not half-alien, and definitely not alien _royalty_.

 

Hunk followed the protocol when contacting unknown beings. They landed some distance away from the nearest settlement, as to not scare them with the Blue Lion.

"Understood," said Allura, from the communications screen, "please try your best to befriend the locals, but if things turn dangerous then return here as quick as possible."

"Got it," nodded Lance, "my buddy here seems to know what he's doing," he grinned, nudging Hunk.

Hunk remembered all the times he'd rolled his eyes in the academy's classes on 'making contact with unknown species'. He'd gotten the worst grades in those classes; worse than piloting and combat training. In his defense, he'd always found those classes ridiculous. Aliens were _supposed_ to be evil beings that wouldn't spend time trying to understand humans. Even his tutor said that; that the government just wanted them to be prepared 'if they changed their minds'. He was hardly qualified.

"Hopefully," Hunk added. Allura nodded and the screen went blank.

 

* * *

 

Pidge and the Lion had landed in the trees, and Pidge marveled at the brightness of the world. These trees reached one level, and one level only, stopping at dirt and ground.

"Okay," they climbed down the Lion, their bare feet touching the ground for the first time. They cringed at the feeling of the dirt on their feet, but walked. Their Lion followed, padding lightly and stepping over fallen tree trunks. The Holo once had feathered wings; in ancient times; and Pidge felt their back muscles twitch whenever they climbed over anything. It would have been easier to fly.

 

They reached a settlement of creatures smaller than Pidge; reaching up to their shoulders, at most. The creatures panicked when they saw Pidge, and Pidge panicked when they saw the creatures.

"The great goddess has come, as told in the prophecy!" the tallest of the creatures cried out, dressed differently to the others. Pidge could only assume they were the settlement's elder, or one of the elders.

"Goddess?" Pidge imitated the word, unsure of its meaning. The creature's words were foreign and outside of their planet's language, but Pidge could mostly understand them. It had, many eons ago, aided the Holo in trade- not needing to learn other languages, but instead perceiving their meaning. 'Goddess' couldn't be drawn to any other word the Holo used, however, other than 'Power' and 'Great Energy'.

"The Lion Goddess," the elder said, pointing at the Green Lion, "you've brought her to judge us, haven't you?"

Pidge blinked their eyes; in disagreement; "no, they took me here. I need to save my people."

"From what?" one of the smallest of the creatures hesitantly stepped forth, "what do you fear, if not the Lion Goddess?"

Pidge looked around, they couldn't see any purple ships and beastly invaders, "they call themselves the 'Galran Empire'," they spoke, lowly, "and... they want to rule over everything. My world was one of many captured in their conquest."

The assembled group of natives were suddenly shaking in fear.

Their elder raised one hand, "did your world try appeasing the 'Galran Empire'? Our crops only thrive through our sacrifices and rituals to the Great Lion Goddess!"

Pidge felt their feathers ruffle, to the point where some fell out, "none of us know, because our world was taken many generations ago. No elders exist from before the invasion, and our elders know little of the invasion."

There was murmured conversations among the crowd.

"Hmph! Well, the Lion Goddess arrives, and we must appease her!" the elder yelled, turning the fractured crowd and their conversations into shouts of agreement.

"Moontow!" many started chanting, and the small Arusian from before nervously looked at Pidge and the Green Lion.

 

Moontow smoothed their clothes down, then began to move wildly in a manner that Pidge had never seen before. They watched the procedure, intimidated but oddly fascinated. The Green Lion, meanwhile, waited until Moontow stopped moving before lying down idly.

"You, foreign creature! What did the Goddess think of the Dance of Apology?"

'Dance'. They called it 'dance'.

Pidge looked back at the Lion, which felt as relaxed and calmed as it had when they landed.

"They enjoyed it. I think," Pidge replied, and the crowd began cheering wildly.

"Good! Excellent!" their elder cheered alongside them, and Moontow smiled brightly at Pidge. Pidge smiled back. The happiness had swept them up, smothering them. They had only ever felt the combined misery and fear of the fellow Holo, accompanied with the tinges of sadistic pleasure from the Galra above them. Their kind felt what those around them felt, and Pidge had never felt such happiness and relief. It was overwhelming.

The Green Lion stood up, and the mood suddenly hit back into fear; familiarity for Pidge. The lion padded over to Pidge, nudging them and looking in a certain direction when Pidge turned to look at their technological companion.

"I think it wants me to go somewhere, now," said Pidge, to the Arusians.

"She... isn't displeased with our joy?" the elder questioned, nervously. Pidge didn't need to ask their lion the question. The lion seemed pleased with helping and protecting others, not terrorizing them.

"No, the lion wants you all to be happy."

It growled, startling the Arusians. It was getting impatient, now. It needed to go.

Pidge tapped on its jaw and hopped into the lion's mouth when it opened.

"She _ate_ the bird-creature!" they heard from outside, musing on what 'bird' meant. It felt similar to 'person'. Perhaps they looked similar to the Holo. Pidge wondered if the 'bird' had lived peacefully with the strange natives.

Their musing was cut short when the Green Lion began to sprint on its own, jumping around and making strange growls. It wasn't angry or seeking out something to destroy, it felt more like Pidge had when their family had disappeared. Hurried. Searching. _Hopeful_.

 

* * *

 

Hunk heard the rustling, first, and clutched the stick in his hand. Him and Lance had realized, midway through their small walk to the settlement, that they were unarmed. Lance had told him to find two long sticks, and when he returned Lance was getting overly-excited about some sharp rock he'd found.

"Boom, spear," said Lance, having finished using the rock to sharpen his stick.

"Good, something's over there," Hunk pointed in the direction where he'd heard the frantic rustling. It was growing closer.

 

* * *

 

Another lion appeared; green and smaller than Blue. Lance instinctively threw the stick, but the Green Lion avoided it easily. It carried on, towards where they'd left Blue.

"Hey!" Lance called, then ran after the newcomer. He'd promised Allura his bond with Blue was precious, he couldn't let some stranger burst in and take it. If that was what they were planning.

"Lance, be careful!" Hunk yelled, also running after the Green Lion. Lance ducked under the branches and vines, less elegantly than his pursuit. Whoever piloted the lion was far better than he was; it had taken him a few attempts to land Blue in the forested area.

 

Blue perked up immediately, as Green halted and exchanged low grumbles of affection.

"Get out of there, whoever you are!" Lance stood his ground, glaring daggers at the Green Lion for getting too close to Blue. The feline knelt down, and out came a strange, fluffy creature from its head.

"Or, what?" it barked back, its feathers sticking up angrily. The creature reminded Lance of a mixture between a chicken, gremlin (in all forms) and lizard. But, it somehow pulled it off and looked cute.

"We're friendly," Hunk huffed, out of breath from running, "as long as you're not with the Galra," he added.

The creature froze at the name, then cautiously stood on top of the lion, " _you're_ not with the Galra?" they questioned, their humanoid mouth thinned.

"Never," said Lance, "not after everything they've done."

The creature climbed down, effortlessly, "we're allies, then. My name is Pidge."

"Pidge?" Lance grinned, "like, _Pigeon_... or _Pidgey_?"

"Pidge," Pidge repeated, clearer.

"I'm Hunk," greeted Hunk, "that's Lance."

"This lion is yours," Pidge looked at Lance, "I didn't know there were two."

Lance looked at the Green Lion. Allura needed to know about it.

"We had our hunches, but we should tell the princess. She'll be happy to know you're here," Hunk beamed.

"The 'princess'," Pidge tested the word, looking pensive, "do they know the 'goddess'. The others here thought this lion was the 'goddess'."

"Don't tell me you just showed up in front of the natives with your lion!" Hunk laughed, "yeah, if they're quite primitive they probably aren't used to the technology, so assumed it was divine or something."

Pidge nodded, "so, 'goddess' _does_ mean 'divine'," they seemed pleased with themselves.

"Oh, great, we're not the only tourists," Lance said, "c'mon, Blue, I need to tell the princess about this gremlin."

 

* * *

 

The defenses weren't in the best of shape, which wasn't surprising considering their _long_ sleep. Coran tried to imagine how the universe might have changed in their absence; in the absence of _Altea_. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He didn't want to think of all the colonies and allies that had been cut down because of Zarkon.

"Coran!" the princess paced quickly into the control hub, sounding happy. Coran spun around.

"Yes, princess?"

"We have the Green Lion!" she had a glimmer of happiness in her eyes.

"How? Your father gifted that to the Holo just as the war began!" Coran remembered the visit personally, King Alfor bowing to the great elder council of the Holo, the Elder Council smiling and promising to supply Altea with the technology that would drive back the Galra. To receive a piece of the Legendary Defender was an honor for their close allies, so much so that they didn't even ask why Alfor had entrusted them with hiding it. Coran supposed it was good they didn't ask. 

Coran also supposed it wasn't the _best_ thing that the Green Lion had returned. Not after what happened to her paladin...

"A young Holo brought it here," Allura explained, smiling brightly, "they didn't recognize our planets' union, but they agreed to help us against the Galra."

A young Holo. That was more of a relief. Coran needed an expert in machinery.

"Excellent!" Coran cheered, "we should bring the paladins back here immediately! Perhaps that Holo could take a look at our defenses for us."

Allura faltered for a moment, and Coran nearly wondered why. He'd called the strangers 'paladins'.

"Coran, do you think they could they be the new paladins?"

Coran mused, could they replace the old paladins? Could they set things right? He didn't know. There were only three of them, and only two of them had lions.

The old paladins had looked hopeful and full of promise. Some of them had delivered on that hope. Coran frowned. The universe had changed. Perhaps the paladins had changed, too.

"Oh, that's just me being forgetful," he chuckled, waving one hand, "but, perhaps, they could make fine paladins if we trained them."

Allura sighed, leaning against one of the pillars of the room, "if only we had _time_ to do that," her eyes closed, deep in thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I keep ending with Concerned!Allura?  
> I need to give Allura paid vacation already, and she's only been in two chapters, geez.  
> Things are gonna get even more stressed out, though :>  
> Also, Pidge is Birb.


	8. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro claw their escape from Zarkon with one of his prized possessions. Shiro encounters reminders of his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for y'all (but it's kinda short-ish) but stuff happens, including: emotional drama, references to torture (those Druids, y'know), weaponized arm shenanigans (of the murder variety), bloodshed and general violence/attempt at sci-fi action. There's nothing overly graphic, but as always I'll add anything that needs warning if I notice/have it brought to my attention.

Despite using the pass code and going through the door without any issue, Keith still felt like they were being tracked. His ears twitched uncontrollably, the same way they did whenever he snuck out of his bunk to train, or talk to Shiro. The corridor ahead was long and narrow, with a sharp turn at the end. Anything could be hiding beyond that turn, guns and batons raised to stop any trespassers.

"It'll be okay," Shiro said gently, easily reading Keith. Keith wished he could read Shiro that quickly; the man could be an enigma sometimes.

"I hope," Keith replied, grimly, "I feel like something's gonna surprise us. And not in the good way."

Shiro flexed his robotic hand, "you don't like any surprises," he commented.

"I don't, but some can be worse than others," Keith said, his mind jumping to an entire squadron ahead, or the Druids, or _Zarkon_. Or, all three of them, squished into the tiny hallway together. They approached the corner and slowed to a crawl, keeping their backs firmly against the wall. Keith had made sure to go first, peering around the corner without hesitation. He gripped his blade, and his gifted blade, firmly in his hands and readied himself for a fight.

 

His eyes scanned the large room before him. There were plenty of pillars and huge machines for hiding, and one central piece that felt like a weapon of sorts. It was obscured by a standard particle barrier, the type used to keep expensive things away from the common rabble. He squinted, trying to make out the shape within the barrier.

"Anything dangerous?" Shiro whispered behind him.

"I don't know," Keith replied, but sprung away from the wall and into the room ahead, "but I feel like this is our way out of here, somehow."

Feelings were nagging him, both welcoming and unwelcoming. Shiro walked to his side, looking around.

"There's something wrong, here," he said, shuddering, "almost like-"

A doorway across the room opened and three Druids filed out.

 

* * *

 

Shiro froze up. He'd been conditioned, ever since he was first captured, to respect and fear the Druids. They were calm, calculating.

"Champion," they greeted, "perhaps this was a misunderstanding, I thought you were above escaping," Haggar, their leader, was in the middle. Unusually, she was wearing the same mask as the others. It made Shiro feel sick. He'd felt dread at seeing her apprentices, but Haggar herself was more terrifying. Haggar conducted her own experiments, had the strongest magic that he couldn't resist.

"Shiro," Keith held his arm, his _human_ arm. He came back, just for a moment.

"And _you_ ," Haggar snarled at Keith, "you're a disgrace to your kind, just like your family."

Shiro tried to stop Keith, but Keith couldn't be stopped once he got an idea. He ran at Haggar, with his blades raised, and was thrown against the red barrier in the center of the room. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

"Keith!" Shiro called out, but couldn't move. His weaponized arm was shaking viciously, more than the rest of his body. Haggar approached.

"You're aware of what the empire does with traitors," she spoke lowly, "come with us, ' _Shiro_ ', and your death will be much less painful."

Shiro fought the urge to agree to her terms. She always laid out her deals when Shiro lost something: an arm, blood, _consciousness_. It made it seem like she was being merciful. She wasn't merciful. Shiro repeated a mantra in his mind: 'this _isn't_ mercy, it's punishment'.

"No," he finally said, after what felt like hours.

Haggar took her mask off, revealing the face that had tortured and degraded him for _years._ Her mouth was curled into a scowl.

"Idiot," she mocked, "put him in his place," then, she turned to her two fellow Druids.

"Alive, Haggar?" one asked.

" _Barely_ ," she hissed, "and whilst you handle the traitor, I'll take this whelp to Zarkon himself."

 

Shiro sprung forward and stood in front of Keith, before Haggar could pick him up. The other two Druids appeared, alongside Haggar, and duplicated themselves. Shiro struck whatever drifted too close. He knocked off one of their masks, resulting in a small amount of satisfaction underneath the sudden adrenaline.

Keith appeared behind one of the Druids, burying his blade into their back. The masked figure let out a groan of pain, falling to the ground.

"You little-!" the other Druid turned to him, leaving Haggar to focus on Shiro. Keith couldn't remove his blade, swinging helplessly with Thace's dagger. That infuriated the Druid even more. It also distracted Shiro, and Haggar knew exactly when he let his guard down. She clawed at his face, her nails crackling with energy. His face seared in pain.

Keith yelped, too, and Shiro looked over to see the Druid throwing Keith to the ground. His knife lay outside Keith's grasp. Shiro stepped backward to face the Druid, away from Haggar. His arm spiked, launching itself through the Druid's chest. He'd always imagined himself doing that, when the Druids' cruelty had taken its toll. Still, it disturbed him, to feel the monster go limp. Shiro had always imagined the Druids to be lifeless robots, judging by their heartlessness and slow movements, but dark purple blood spilled from the Druid's chest. Shiro shook off the corpse, feeling the same paleness he'd felt during his first arena battle.

"It's over, Haggar," Keith growled, standing next to Shiro with his knife, "it's two against one."

Haggar laughed, jolting Shiro back to the situation, "two _broken_ traitors against _me_?" she questioned, then duplicated herself.

"I'll show you broken!" Keith yelled out, slashing at the images and trying to reach the physical version of Haggar. Shiro followed suit, stuffing down his emotions and letting the frenzy of battle take over. His skin burned with anger and pain. Haggar kept laughing, teleporting behind them just before they could reach her. Shiro realized what she was doing. She was wasting their time. He looked up, for a split second, and saw a fuzzy outline within the barrier.

"Keith," he spoke lowly, as they battled another onslaught of clones, "get that barrier open, she's distracting us."

Keith didn't answer for a moment, clawing his way through the duplicates, then he nodded and pulled himself away from the fight.

"You'll never get the Lion!" Haggar screamed out, casting electricity towards Keith. Shiro breathed out in relief when Keith narrowly dodged it. Shiro needed to distract Haggar.

He mustered his strength, jumping over some duplicates and raising his arm to strike Haggar. She raised her own arm, blocking him from hitting her skull. Two of her duplicates hit his back with balls of energy. Haggar teleported away from him, towards Keith.

"Help us!" Shiro heard Keith snap, towards the barrier.

"It answers to _nobody_ , brat," Haggar sneered, picking him up by his throat, "especially not to an inferior half-breed like _you_!"

 

* * *

 

Haggar wasn't Galran, and was often secretly scorned for that, but her hypocrisy still cut Keith. He couldn't think of any comeback, though, especially with the Druid choking him. He looked at the red barrier in front of him. None of the machines seemed to be able to crack it open, not _quickly_.

"Help..." he struggled out, as the barrier burned into his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Haggar dropped the weakling, startled by the barrier disappearing at long last. Some life radiated from the brat, but she wasn't concerned. Her favorite test subject was slowly wearing down, as her imitations struck him. The 'rebels' were falling just as her own energy was starting to thin. Zarkon would be pleased enough. The cycle had turned catastrophic for the empire; not that either would admit it. He needed some good news, and the Red Lion finally relinquishing itself to the Galra was good news indeed. They just needed to find the others.

"Cova was right," she spoke to herself, much like her old 'friend' had taken to doing, "the Lions are beginning to awaken once more..."

She gazed up at the Red Lion, "submit to me!" she ordered it, and it roared. She was unable to hide her glee. After years of focusing on energies, studying where the King had stashed his precious weapon, after years of _sacrifice_ , she would be able to hand Voltron over to Zarkon. Her empire would become unstoppable. The entire universe would be in her hands.

She was promptly smacked out of the way, by the Red Lion's muzzle.

 

* * *

 

Shiro didn't check on Haggar. She had let out a squawk and been knocked across the room by the huge metal creature. Her illusions had disappeared before they could do any serious harm. He could finally get to Keith.

"Please be alive, please be alive," he muttered under his breath, crouching over the young Galra and checking for a pulse. Bump-bump. Bump-bump-bump. An uneven pulse, though that was normal for Galra. He was breathing. Still alive.

"Thank you," he said to the creature, which grumbled softly. It looked at them for a moment, with glowing yellow eyes. Keith stirred, gasping for air.

"Easy, now," Shiro brought his head forward, "start with smaller breaths."

Keith nodded, following orders.

"Haggar?" he rasped, once he'd started to get his breath back.

"This... thing knocked her out, I think," Shiro gestured to the beast, which was studying them intently. Keith stared back, mystified.

"Do you think it can get us out of here?" he asked.

Shiro looked at the machine, which grunted again and opened its mouth, "I think it can."

 

* * *

 

Keith felt like he knew the structure; the Red Lion. It seemed to reluctantly introduce itself to him, mentally. It reminded Keith of the woman he'd seen in his earlier vision. 'Elena'. Pain shot through his head when he thought of the name.

"A control panel," Shiro sighed in relief, "this thing _does_ fly."

Keith nodded, gritting his teeth, "we'll have to find a way out," he frowned. To his knowledge, they were surrounded by hallways and thick walls. Nowhere to directly fly out of, not with the size of their newfound vehicle. Keith sat in the only seat available, once Shiro had nodded at it.

"Patience," Shiro recited his favorite word, as Keith tapped at the seat's armrest impatiently. He wanted to leave before they brushed any closer to death. Haggar couldn't stay on the ground forever, and more forces were probably making their way over to them.

"Come on," he grumbled at the lion itself, feeling a disjointed connection with it. Keith had little connections to flight simulators and smaller vehicles before, which he'd never told others because he knew they'd humiliate him for it. But, he seemed to be able to 'read' them; knowing when their engines would fail, or when to dodge. He found his connection to piloting easier than his connection with living beings.

The Red Lion rumbled, screens appearing to show the room outside.

"Visuals," Shiro commented, appreciatively, "that's something."

One of the screens showed Haggar staggering up, raising one palm towards them.

"Pathetic..." they both heard her sneer from outside, " _you_ can't even... make it do your bidding..."

Keith clenched his fists, "are you going to _take_ that?" he hissed at the control panel, "because I wouldn't. Neither of us do anyone's bidding, not anymore!"

He was tired. Tired of following orders and receiving _nothing_ but criticism. They couldn't control him any longer. He wouldn't let them.

The Red Lion livened up considerably, the control panel lighting up and calling to Keith.

 

He knew most of the controls, instinctively, as if he'd flown it many times before. Haggar blasted their side with magic, but the Red Lion heaved itself up.

"Hold on, Shiro," said Keith, "we're busting out of here."

"Be careful!" Shiro warned, stumbling as Keith sent the lion to the right. It began clawing the wall, ripping off panels and wires.

"Scratch all you want, brat! It just gives me time to destroy you!" Haggar taunted, knocking the lion away from the wall with another blast of magic.

Keith growled in frustration, turning to Haggar, "do you want to end up like your friends?" he taunted back, causing Haggar to glare and hit them with another bolt of energy. Keith felt the Red Lion's damage course through him.

"Alright," he looked down at the control panel once again, "get us out of here!" he hit a few buttons, causing the lion to jump against the wall. It left nothing more than a dent. He tried a few more times, sending Shiro flying.

"Keith, try something else," Shiro recommended.

Keith tried it again, solely out of irritation. They fell through into another room of the ship, filled with boxes and crates.

Haggar pursued, cackling.

"Oh, I wouldn't move, if I were you," she stood back from the room, "you're standing among an entire storeroom of crystallized plasma energy... one nudge and it could all-"

Keith nudged one, mostly by accident. And the lion shook and rocked, accompanied by the deafening roar of snapping metal. The explosion triggered smaller ones. Keith hoped he imagined the screaming, too, but whipped his head around to see if Shiro was the source of the screaming. Shiro was clinging onto the wall behind him, eyes wide and face haunted by something.

"I'm useless," Keith turned back to the control panel, whispering underneath the catastrophic roars around them.

 

The lion hadn't killed them yet, but it felt like it would if it stayed in the destruction any longer. It pierced into his mind, telling him to fly _up_ before it succumbed to the explosions. Keith looked for controls, other than the few buttons and pulleys that felt useless to him. He felt stupid for trying it, but he tried to _will_ it upwards. The lion followed the instructions, soaring high up. The explosion sounds grew faint. They were out of the ship, in space. Keith put them flying horizontally, rather than vertically. It made the ride easier for his passenger.

"It read my mind!" Keith turned back to Shiro, astonished. Shiro seemed to calm down, slightly.

"Was that... on purpose?" he spoke. Keith shrunk back at the tone of his voice; _livid_.

"The explosion?" he tried, meekly, "no, I-"

"-Keith," Shiro slumped against the wall, his hand covering his face, " _please_ , don't do anything that reckless ever again."

Keith felt his ears droop. He really _was_ useless.

"It was... resourceful," Shiro added, quickly, "and it might have gotten rid of Haggar for good, but... I'm not big on explosions."

Keith looked at the screen showing the rear of the lion. Zarkon's central command was slowly disappearing behind them, with shrapnel littering the surrounding area. Pieces smacked the lion, feeling like bruises on Keith.

"But, we made it," Keith smiled, and Shiro smiled back, "we actually made it!" he laughed.

"We need to get away from any forces sent after us," said Shiro, his smile fading, "like... _those_."

 

* * *

 

She'd teleported just before the explosion had properly struck. It was minor, not as bad as she'd hinted at. She hadn't expected the fools to set it off. Zarkon would be furious, when he found a small piece of his trophy halls had been... destroyed. The maintenance crew looked furious, too, desperately trying to hide it.

"We've sealed the airlock doors leading to the damaged area," one of them, a typical Holo know-it-all, reported, "do you want a representative to accompany you to our emperor, your excellence?"

"You can file a report separately," Haggar snarled at the feeble architect, "our emperor can wait for mine. I need to assemble forces to chase after those traitors."

 

Manpower had been rationed thinly. The central command needed defending whilst a majority of offense had gone on chasing the ships from the earlier raid.

"They didn't look like one of ours, so I sent a small squadron to destroy it," Commander Thace, who wasn't in any position to be leading aerial troops, informed Haggar. Haggar wanted to kill him on the spot, but there wasn't any other senior officers around.

Galra were awful in their organization, even after eons of running an empire.

"Those traitors left with the _Red Lion_ ," she hissed at him, "if you knew how to do this job, you'd have sent _more_!" she knocked him out of the way, addressing the idle Galra and robot pilots that were standing around in the hangar.

"All of you! You will scour the nearby star systems for the two traitors! You will capture them and their vessel, and you will return when your mission is complete. If none of you can perform that easy task, you won't come back!"

She looked at the trembling whelps tasked with ship communication, "I'm sure you fools know what vessel I'm speaking of. Get it tracked, show these useless pilots what they're looking for. Contact all nearby ships to keep alert."

Thace didn't look humiliated enough, "Haggar, with all due respect, we need some pilots here to defend-"

"-I don't care," she stared down at him, "where is Commander Prorok?"

"Leading the fight against the invaders, your excellence," Thace replied, without missing a beat, "in all the panic, he appointed me to lead the defense."

"You are excused from your duties, Thace," she replied, swiftly, before any more damage could be done.

"Of course, thank you," Thace did their salute, as an after-thought, "vrepit-sa, your excellence."

He scurried off; and Haggar idly wondered if it was about time he faced an 'upgrade', like Sendak.

 

* * *

 

_Shiro recalled something from his life before the Galra, for the first time. A woman with long, dark hair... his mother. She used to sit with him by the window, gaze out across the stars, and she'd tell him stories. Their crew had been around for generations, passing down stories and legends from their 'origin' and the different places in the cosmos._

_"Takashi, settle down," she told him, after their craft had ducked and weaved through a sudden asteroid belt, "let me think, have I told you about the Beast King?"_

_The name had scared him, and his mother laughed._

_"I suppose not, then," she looked out of their window, looking pensive as she usually did, "well, the Beast King was one of the strongest beings in all of the universe. He'd win any battle, and he fought across most of the cosmos, becoming the all-famous champion of the stars."_

_Shiro followed her gaze to the stars. They twinkled back at him, as always. Shiro had missed landing on planets and seeing the different skies; his favorites were the dusky purples and pale oranges._

_"In his pride, he challenged the Goddess of the Universe."_

_"He lost," he replied, having heard many similar tales. The 'goddess of the universe' wasn't trifled with. Most stories with something 'challenging' her ended with them paying for their arrogance._

_"Patience," she chided, putting a finger on his nose, "but, he did lose. To teach him humility, to the goddess split the Beast King into five pieces, and scattered him across the universe. Only the worthy could put him together, and awaken him, to fight all evil."_

* * *

Keith called his name.

"Sorry," he snapped out of his trance, "I just remembered something."

"I'd ask about it, but we don't have time," Keith urgently said, "I don't think I can outrun these ships, but we can't fight them. The explosion put strain on the lion."

Shiro looked at the various screens, "usually, I'd think this is a bad idea, but we're desperate," he groaned, mainly to himself, "there's an asteroid belt over there, maybe we can shake them off."

Keith nodded enthusiastically, "good call, Shiro," he immediately flew in that direction.

"I trust you," Shiro said, as they swiftly entered the narrow gaps in the asteroids, "just, remember your training and... try to keep us alive."

He wasn't the best at encouragement. Galra drilled into their subjects to strike fear into subordinates and rule with a harsh fist. Neither of them coped well under that system, but they didn't know anything else. Shiro felt ridiculous for being positive, sometimes, even if Keith had admired him for it. Keith admired him for many things. Many _stupid_ things.

Shiro couldn't let him down, though, not after everything the young Galra had been through. Not after everything _he'd_ been through.

"I'll try," Keith replied, deadly serious. Still, he moved seemingly erratically, leading their pursuers to their demise whilst narrowly avoiding their own. He flew the same way he fought; unpredictably _dangerous_.

 

"Where are we headed, anyway?" and, much to his horror, Keith could make light conversation among his reckless piloting.

"Wherever," Shiro replied, "as long as it isn't Galran or into an asteroid, I don't mind."

His mind nagged at him. They needed to be somewhere. He felt it, deep within his chest. They could go many places. They could find his family. They could find those prisoners. They could find where the 'Lion' came from.

"Five pieces, scattered across the universe," he spoke to himself, his hands taking their grip off the wall for a moment and nearly causing him to fall over.

"The ships are gone," Keith turned back to Shiro.

"Watch the screen!" Shiro replied quickly, and Keith narrowly dodged a particularly large asteroid.

"I'm watching them, but I don't know what _this_ is," Keith gestured to the blinking symbols, something that even bypassed the language chips installed into every Galran citizen; something neither of them could read.

"Is it telling you anything? The Lion?"

Keith frowned, "it's telling me... to accept the message."

Shiro tried to make sense of the symbols, then shrugged, "anything is better than staying here."

"Right," said Keith, and with his light touch on the screen the lion roared. Asteroids were ripped to pieces before them, and a portal rippled into existence.

"That's... useful."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic isn't even 10% completed and I've already fallen into my own tropes, oops.  
> (The whole 'resurfacing memories' thing is just too fun to write). Anyway, you'll never guess where that roar portal leads~


	9. An Unexpected Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new paladins of Voltron meet for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm too lazy for warnings again, but like the previous chapter, it's not that bad/graphic. There's some major mistrust towards Keef (like, borderline xenophobic, I guess?).   
> We're getting somewhere with the story, now!  
> Feel free to add suggestions/constructive criticisms/reviews/kudos/whatever.

* * *

 

Allura had been pleased to see Pidge, telling them all to gather some more information on their surroundings and meeting back at the castle in '20 dobashes'.

"Anyone know what she means by that?" Lance frowned, as they all sat awkwardly in the Blue Lion. Pidge had been curious as to how the interior of the Blue Lion looked. It was just like their lion, but blue, unsurprisingly enough. The only difference was that the Blue Lion didn't feel as familiar. Pidge felt more connected to their own Lion.

Pidge looked at Lance, surprised, "you don't know what a dobash is?"

"No," Hunk shook his head, "we don't."

"It's... 20 dobashes. There isn't much else to say," Pidge squinted at them, "it's plenty of time to look around, though."

"Just tell us when the time's up," Lance replied, "are we gonna split up and look for clues?" he added, radiating that amusement Pidge sensed whenever he said something weird. If he was joking, the joke was lost on everyone around him.

"The people I met before you called themselves 'Arusians'. I told them about the Galra, but they didn't seem concerned," Pidge explained, looking irritated.

"So, the Galra aren't here yet?" he asked.

Pidge shook their head, "I would know, they've occupied my planet for eons. Their energy is unmistakable."

Death. Hatred. _Pride_.

"We should go back to these Arusians," said Hunk, "maybe they can help us get information."

Lance nodded, "good idea, buddy."

"I'll go to my Lion," Pidge said, "don't you have one, Hunk?"

Hunk laughed, shaking his head, "nah, I just ride shotgun with Lance."

Pidge strode towards the walkway out of the Lion, "this isn't a 'shotgun', it's a lion," they clarified, before leaving. The featherless creatures were _weird_.

 

* * *

 

The 'Arusians' were terrified at the appearance of _two_ lions.

"Relax, we're not here to hurt you!" Lance called out, running out of Blue's mouth. The crowd that assembled started screaming.

Pidge appeared next to him, "look, it's me, I'm alive," they dryly said, once the screaming had subsided.

"We just want to know more about your planet," Lance looked for their leader among the crowd. The leader appeared, looking grim.

"Two goddesses have arrived to punish us," he addressed the crowd, "even the traditional dance of apology cannot save us, now. We must throw ourselves into the fire of judgment!"

"You don't need to do that!" Hunk spoke up, as some of the crowd started moving towards a pile of sticks and wood in the center of their village.

"How else will we appease the lion goddesses?" one small creature asked, nervously moving towards Hunk. He was universally cuddly and non-threatening, it seemed.

"You don't _need_ to," Lance crouched down to the alien's level, "it's alright, little guy, the lions aren't gonna to hurt you."

"They're not," Hunk agreed, smiling down at the childlike Arusian and then addressing the stationary crowd, "we promise we'll protect your village from danger, but we need to know more about this place."

Murmurs erupted among the Arusians. Excited, nervous and inspired.

Their leader folded his arms, "hm, I _suppose_ we could give you a tour," he said.

Pidge looked around the small settlement, unimpressed, "we need to know about your planet, not-"

"-a tour would be great!" Lance interrupted, "c'mon, Pidge, we need to make friends," he whispered in addition, towards the disgruntled 'gremlin'.

 

Pidge sighed, "it's been more than 20 dobashes, now," they informed Lance and Hunk. Lance had regretted his decision, having been led around the village and talked at for what felt like half an hour. It had been 15 minutes, tops.

"So, one dobash lasts less than one minute," Hunk mused aloud.

"We need to get back to the princess," Pidge said, "are they going to explain what's going on here?"

Lance hoped she would.

"Probably," he said, instead.

The leader of the Arusians looked suspicious, "this 'princess' of yours... where is she?"

"The castle, that way," Lance gestured towards where they'd came from, he could see the top of the castle in the distance, beyond all the trees.

"The ancient temple?" the smaller Arusian, who'd introduced herself as Moontow, questioned with an amazed glint in her eyes. Their entourage of Arusians also seemed awed by the mention of the 'temple'.

"Yep," said Lance, "but, it's called the Castle of Lions."

Moontow grabbed the sleeve of their leader, "it's the legend! The temple really does hold the saviors of our village!"

"Against the lion goddess," the chieftain waved her away, "but, these foreign creatures tell us the lion goddesses are _with_ the ancient temple!"

Pidge let out something between a groan and a squawk, "forget about that, you should all be scared of the _Galra_! My people spent too long worrying about our legends, and they were enslaved! Do you want your village to end up the same!?"

Moontow covered her mouth with her hands, "n-no," her voice shook. Her people agreed, equally terrified.

Lance frowned at Pidge, in a mixture of disappointment and sympathy. They'd obviously been through... stuff. But, they weren't helping their attempts of gaining the Arusians' trust.

"We'll stop them," Hunk spoke up after a tense moment, "once we get everything figured out," he added, faltering for a moment.

"Let's head back," Lance advised, not wanting to see Pidge get any more frustrated with the Arusians, "we're going to report back to the castle, keep the village safe, chief," he added, to the leader.

"Of course," he replied, looking troubled all of a sudden, "and if we need your aid, you'll definitely help us? Without any sacrifices?" he sounded almost disappointed.

"No price needed!" Lance replied, grinning at the cute and cuddly aliens.

The village all cheered, and Lance soaked up the attention happily. Hunk bashfully chuckled.

"We'll see you guys later," he promised, pulling Lance away from the crowd by his sleeve.

 

Pidge had stalked off into their lion afterwards, following Lance and Hunk once they'd started flying back to the Castle of Lions.

"They're really upset," Hunk said, clearly concerned for their new ally. Lance felt equally worried about Pidge. But, he was somewhat glad they'd arrived: not only had they brought another lion with them, but they also knew some things about the Galra.

"We don't know what they've been through," Lance shrugged back, "seems rough, though."

"And it's only gonna get more stressful from here," Hunk said, gloomily, "I didn't expect to go through all this when I woke up this morning," he looked down, then chuckled awkwardly.

"I was gonna meet up with my friends and go to the beach," said Lance, despite telling himself not to fall back to the 'past'.

"We need to keep going," said Hunk, after thinking for a moment, "we've got a duty, now."

"Yep," said Lance, as the Castle came into view.

 

* * *

 

Hunk felt awful. It had settled in that he'd been thrown into a war. His research team probably thought he was long gone. Pidge's own anger had infected him.

' _Positive vibes,_ ' he thought to himself. He could take a break later, he needed to focus on their new mission: helping the Princess. Helping the universe itself, judging on how Pidge had spoken of the Galra.

The Arusians were just one species of hundreds; possibly _thousands_ ; that needed protecting. They couldn't be saved if Hunk was the last person to give up.

He needed to carry everyone, they were all too broken and weary to motivate themselves. Hunk needed to put aside his emotions for his new team. He'd done it before. He could do it again.

 

They landed outside the castle. Lance rose up from his seat.

"I hope Allura will explain more stuff," he sighed, "this whole 'saving the universe' thing is cool, and all, but..."

"... we need to know more," Hunk nodded, "that would be helpful."

Hunk took in the advanced technology standing before them. Even if things were stressful, he could still appreciate the beauty of alien tech. He wondered if, after they saved (or tried to save) the universe, he could bring some things home to advance his own species.

"This is different," Pidge climbed down from their lion, standing next to Hunk and Lance, "more advanced," they sounded relieved.

"Good thing, huh?" Lance put his arms behind his head as they walked, his voice settling back into his usual lighthearted tone, "those Arusians are cuddly, but I don't think they'd help us in the tech department."

"They are cute, though," Hunk said, for the sake of being positive.

Lance made an agreeing noise, "that's their strongest asset, man," he said, "which isn't bad, most normal people would find them too cute to hurt 'em."

Pidge scoffed, "you've never met the Galra, have you?"

"I don't think I want to," said Lance, his tone even, "are they all ugly?"

"Very," said Pidge, without missing a beat, "even uglier than you."

"What? Hey!" Lance protested. Pidge gave Hunk an amused look, which Hunk laughed at. At least humor was universal.

 

He was looking forward to their break. But, at the same time, he had the promise of understanding his situation, which energized him. The other two seemed the same.

"We're back!" Lance called, down the hallways. All three of them jumped when Allura's voice broke out from nowhere.

"I can see," she said, "come to the command center."

"I know where that is," Lance nodded, "for some reason," he added, shrugging.

Hunk admired his flexibility with new surroundings and powers, "lead the way," he said, clapping his back. He looked back, at Pidge, who was looking at their feet and awfully quiet.

"What?" they snapped, looking up at Hunk.

"Nothing!" replied Hunk hastily, "just checking on you."

Their feathers ruffled, "I'm _fine_ , I just want to know what's going on."

They walked, "she'll tell us, Pidge," Lance reassured them.

"They... _she_ better," said Pidge, sounding anything but reassured.

 

* * *

 

Pidge wanted to like them. The two strange, featherless creatures. But, they were too... strange. Pidge didn't know how to act around them. They couldn't feel the familiar energies from their fellow Holo. Their new allies had energies that spiked and dipped, that morphed into different feelings without stopping. It made Pidge uneasy. They were unpredictable. The bigger one, Hunk, always had a caring feeling to him, but the ripple of frustration after they set off had made Pidge cautious. They were _too_ nice. The skinny one, Lance, was an entirely different reason to be wary. Their energy felt like a rock trying to fly; cheerfulness masking something much _darker_. Pidge couldn't communicate with them, either, through energies. The Holo were infamous for being subtle and subdued with their emotions; as their kin could read them easily. Pidge wondered if they knew how they felt. Pidge tried imagining life without feeling energy around them.

 

The 'princess' felt refined but happy. Pidge smiled back at her smile. Something about her markings and style of dress just felt... right. Familiar and friendly.

"Welcome, good ally!" and the other one, the one with the curly feathers under their nose, leaned over to greet them. They did some strange bow; like something the Elders would have done to greet one-another. Pidge didn't know how to respond, but luckily the feathered being backed away.

"You must be Pidge," the princess nodded, even though Pidge had been there for the excited exchange between Lance, Hunk and the 'command center', "I'm Princess Allura of Altea, thank you for bringing back the Green Lion."

Pidge felt flustered, and hoped Allura couldn't pick that up, "no problem," they mumbled.

"It's wonderful to know the Holo are still around! Your people were good friends of the Alteans!" the other one said.

"That's their species," Hunk added, gesturing to the pair, and half-gesturing to Lance.

That was interesting. Pidge bit back the urge to ask questions; Allura was humming with information that they... _she_ wanted to divulge.

"This is Coran, I believe he acted as an ambassador towards your people, once," Allura explained, radiating familial love towards 'Coran'. Pidge knew the feeling well: it was what they'd proudly displayed towards their parents and sibling. The Holo saw it as one of the strongest forces in the universe.

But it hadn't saved them. Not their family, nor their planet.

"Indeed, princess!" Coran replied, "I can only hope that your people haven't been treated too poorly, Pidge."

Pidge felt sadness overwhelm themselves, "my people have suffered from the Galra for many eons. We haven't had any help from any 'Alteans' like yourselves."

"Our people were all but wiped out... I feared that our allies would meet similar fates," Allura replied, looking down. Pidge felt the sadness radiate from her. Lance rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You survived," said Lance, "we can still save them."

"Perhaps," she said, though her helpless aura suggested otherwise, "ah, I am sorry, Pidge. I forget that your people are receptive to thoughts and feelings."

Allura put her hands together, her sadness being subdued, "to save the allies of Altea; and the rest of the universe that's been corrupted by the Galra; we must find the other Lions."

Lance and Hunk exchanged glances.

"How many of those do we need to find?" Hunk asked.

"And what will finding all the Lions do?"

Allura remained subdued, but a small spark of pride was threatening to spill out, "if we can find and assemble all five Lions, we will have Voltron: the Legendary Defender."

 

Lance whistled, "I _knew_ it," he said, quietly. There were sparks of hope coming from everyone, and even Pidge felt hopeful. They didn't know what 'Voltron' was, exactly, but it sounded _good_. 

Coran twirled the bushy feathers under his nose, "but, how much do you know, Lance? We've been talking, the princess and I, and I have the feeling poor Voltron has faded into legend over the years of our... absence."

Pidge was puzzled by the mention of their 'absence'.

"They've been frozen for 10,000 years," Lance caught the confusion and offered an explanation, which only slightly lifted their confusion. What were 'years'? They were many, whatever they were. Enough to have the Galra cause damage among existence.

"I don't know anything about 'Voltron'," said Pidge, "I didn't even know the Green Lion was on my planet until I found it. I was looking for the Great Power."

"Great Power?" Allura echoed, curious.

"Well, I guess that's what my people called the Green Lion," Pidge remembered the intense power they'd felt as they approached the lion, which matched all the tales and legends, "we believed that the center of our planet was powered by a great force of energy, which could free us from the Galra. I was sent to look for it, but I didn't expect to find a 'lion'."

"Same here," said Lance, "I didn't think lions would be so universal... literally."

"I've never seen an Earth lion," shrugged Hunk, "or any space lions, either."

"Lions were a symbol of strength and unity in Altea," Coran explained, "so, it was only fitting for-"

Coran suddenly jolted, as the hub in the center of the room displayed a big screen.

 

* * *

 

Keith was surprised to find the communications screen, even though he'd activated it. The portal had taken them to a planet full of green; nothing like the rocky images he'd seen of other planets. Shiro hadn't seen anything like it, either.

"I'd open communication links," Shiro had advised, before Keith could approach any closer. Keith had then pressed the button, like the mindless drone he was supposed to be. And then the screen had shot up, filled with four 'humans' (the species Shiro belonged to, which gave Keith some relief) and one Holo. He wondered if the Holo had opened the communications for them; if they were friendly, Keith would have appreciated the Holo checking the Red Lion for repairs.

None of them looked very friendly, though.

" _Galra_ ," the woman in the middle snarled at him, making Keith scramble for a way to close communications.

Shiro stopped him, "we need help," he said, and their faces turned to mistrust with only some concern for the blood-streaked man before them, "we just escaped from Zarkon's command ship, we're not being pursued and-"

Keith knew Shiro would start talking about how they weren't a threat. Keith didn't care.

"-he needs medical attention, and we need repairs for our ship. I'm not in the mood to negotiate."

Shiro gave him an exasperated look, "we just need your permission to land, he means. We won't cause you any trouble."

The human with orange hair spoke up, "according to my readings, you're communicating with us from the Red Lion!"

"That's ours!" the lanky human spoke up, sounding outraged but also clueless.

Keith mistrusted them. If it was 'theirs', and if Zarkon had been keeping it...

"You're not taking her," he growled, "she chose me, and I rescued her from Zarkon. I'm not letting you take her back."

The woman in the middle furrowed her brow angrily, " _you_ rescued the Red Lion from _Zarkon_? And you expect us to believe that?"

Shiro stepped in, once again, "we'll land if you prove that you're not working for the empire."

The big human scratched his head, "wait, you think _we're_ working for the empire?"

"Yes," Keith snapped.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Shiro, more patiently.

They all shook their heads.

"That's not proof," Keith argued, but Shiro nodded in approval.

"Then, you can't be working for them," said Shiro, and Keith grumbled because Shiro _wasn't listening to him_.

"And how do _we_ know you're not working for the Galra, considering you're standing next to one?" the woman folded her arms.

"We took this 'Red Lion' from Zarkon's personal armory, stealing from the Emperor warrants the death penalty," Shiro gestured to his bleeding face, "and we didn't manage to escape easily."

"I'm nearing land," said Keith, who'd been focused on looking at the strange green things that covered the planet's surface, "so we're landing."

"Lance," said the woman, "can you get these... unexpected guests, and bring them to the castle?"

The tall one nodded.

"Stay put," she turned to Keith and Shiro, her tone dangerous, "any sudden moves, and I'll get my paladins to take you down."

"Understood," said Shiro, and the screen disappeared.

 

Keith leaned back in his seat, arms crossed.

"So, we wait?" he huffed, "Shiro, you're still bleeding."

"It doesn't feel too bad," shrugged Shiro, "hopefully 'Lance' will arrive soon."

Keith grunted back, wanting to leave the Lion, "I'm not staying in here, and neither should you."

Shiro shook his head, like he did whenever Keith would say something unreasonable, "I don't want to get on their bad sides, especially if they're the only allies we can make."

"Look," Keith gestured to the screen, "it looks... different. I wanna see it with my own eyes."

"It could be dangerous," Shiro replied, "planets have different atmospheres and temperatures, it's not all regulated like the ships."

Keith gestured to his skin, which was puffier than usual from all the stress and fighting; it was also considerably marred, with some minor wounds.

"My stupid species was _made_ for withstanding harsh environments," he said, without the usual pride associated with the statement.

Shiro hummed aloud, "I'll take your seat, if you don't mind. My legs feel weak."

Keith had never stood up so quickly in all his life.

"Take it," he offered, "you need to rest. I'll come back if the 'atmosphere' doesn't kill me."

 

He found the hatch leading to the outside world with ease. The Red Lion wasn't giving him any warning signs, either. The most he could do was inspect the damage done to her. Keith climbed up, hacking and coughing when the air assaulted his lungs.

It was _fresh_. Too fresh.

Keith fell to the ground, inhaling the air. He laughed. Then, he sat up. The planet was _beautiful_. So much green. Nothing purple, aside from himself. He kicked off his boots and spent a few dobashes just touching the ground with his hands and feet. Then, there was all the green to explore. The new smells. The smells sailed on the fresh air. Keith fell to the ground again, laughing.

"Are you... okay?" came a voice, and he scrambled up, holding his boots like weapons.

"No!" he barked back, "I mean, _yes_!"

The tall human, 'Lance', looked around them, "you're acting like you've never seen land before," he said.

"I have," Keith lied, hastily putting his boots on, "but, forget that... _all_ of that, I'm getting Shiro."

 

* * *

 

Shiro hissed at himself, for touching the deep cuts across his face. Haggar had been fond of clawing him. His entire body was covered in scars. It was only a matter of time before his face stopped being untouched.

"Shiro?" Keith gently alerted him to his presence. Shiro jumped, anyway, uncurling himself from the ground.

"I fell," he lied, as if he hadn't been writhing on the floor in pain.

Keith frowned, seeing through the lie, "our 'escort' is here."

Shiro heaved himself up from the ground, "so, it's safe outside?"

"More than safe," a rare smile spread across Keith's face, "it's so... different. There's green everywhere, but not _machine_ green..."

"Organic life," Shiro supplied, his fragmented memories barely piecing together what organic life looked like. He was looking forward to seeing it.

"Hey!" came from outside, "hurry it up!"

Keith's smile faded instantly, into a scowl.

"We're coming outside!" Shiro called back, then turned to Keith, "it's probably best for us to exit the potential weapon. It looks bad otherwise."

 

Keith nodded, and they'd exited the Lion from its metal underbelly. Shiro tried to ignore the aching of his joints as he walked. The fighting had taken a lot out of him, and he'd gotten too comfortable with being injected with healing salves or getting shoved into the medical bay.

"The lion should follow us," said their 'escort', a human-like figure with slightly pointed ears and markings on his cheekbones. Shiro remembered his name, 'Lance'. The woman with pointed ears had referred to him as such.

 

Shiro took a moment to admire the scenery around them. Keith was right. It was nothing like the Galran ships, which was beyond good. He felt more at ease standing among all the organic life, even though he felt out of place.

"How far to the castle, Lance?" he asked, keeping his tone friendly.

Lance sized him up, before answering, "not too far, uh... you."

"Shiro," he introduced himself, "this is Keith."

Lance froze, staring at Keith with an expression of awe, "Keith?" he mirrored.

"What?" Keith grunted.

"What kind of alien is called _Keith_?" Lance began laughing, and Keith glared at him. Shiro spotted the warning signs instantly. He'd learned to predict Keith's bad temper.

"That's not the name _they_ gave him," he quickly explained, "but, the Empire wasn't kind to Keith, and-"

"-I prefer the name Shiro gave me," Keith stepped in, gritting his teeth, "besides, who names their child after a _weapon_ , 'Lance'?"

Lance suddenly went very silent, and Keith smirked.

Shiro prayed to the Goddess of Space that the walk to the castle really wasn't far.

 

* * *

 

The 'castle' was a docked ship. Keith wasn't _stupid_.

"This is a ship," he said, for good measure.

Lance took a look at the ship, "well, it's called the Castle of Lions, _Keith_."

The way he said 'Keith' annoyed him. He said it like 'Keef'. It somehow sounded worse than 'Keev'.

"It could be both," Shiro commented, giving Keith an expression that told him; for the sake of his headache; to not argue for _five dobashes_.

"It could be," him and Lance said in unison, with the same hint of disagreement in their voices, which annoyed Keith.

 

The Red Lion roared at the entrance to the ship, and it opened with ease. Then, she padded past them.

"Seeya, Red," said Lance, "wish I could walk away from these guys," he added, under his breath. Shiro cleared his throat, awkwardly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keith took the bolder approach.

" _Keith_ ," Shiro replied before Lance. Keith huffed and they followed Lance into the ship. He pretended to look alert, but the dull whiteness of the interior was boring him out of his skull. Not to mention, the hallways were huge and caused uncomfortable echoes to assault his ears. Shiro looked less bored and more comfortable. Then again, Shiro hadn't been treated as much of a threat as Keith had. He _wasn't_ nervous to meet the angry woman, but her tone over the communication screen hadn't been exactly welcoming.

 

" _Halt for identity scan,_ " the voice made Keith jump.

"They're prisoners," said Lance, matter-of-factly.

" _Affirmative. Please escort prisoners to the holding bay._ "

"We're not-!" Keith knew what that word meant to Shiro, and he wouldn't let some lanky flesh-bag get away with _that_.

"-chill, dude," Lance rolled his eyes at him, "the computer doesn't know any different. I don't want it vaporizing us because it thinks _you_ snuck in."

"Lance?" a new voice came from above them, the same voice as that angry woman.

"I know, I'm taking them over now!" Lance replied.

 

He ushered them into an elevator, then hopped out before them to greet the people Keith had seen on the communication screen.

"I've got 'em," he said, and they all turned.

"Halt!" the person with that ridiculous facial hair rushed towards them.

"Halting," said Keith, spotting the Holo dart behind the big human.

"Now, Galra, make your way out of the elevator... slowly."

Keith took the smallest step possible, just to waste everyone's time.

Then, another one. Then, another one. Then...

"Step out of the elevator," the woman snapped.

"Slowly, or...?"

Shiro coughed behind him. He was trying not to laugh. Keith resisted his own urge to laugh. They'd probably think he was about to uncover some evil plan if he started laughing.

"Just. Step. Out."

He stepped out, before the woman could grab the nearest weapon and destroy him.

"Hands behind your head, and no sudden moves."

"C'mon, guys, he acts like a jerk but he's not a _criminal_ ," surprisingly, Lance defended him. Something about his tone made it sound like he was against the whole process.

Keith glared at him, he could call him and Shiro 'prisoners', but not 'criminals'?

"Their entire _species_ are criminals!" the Holo yelled.

"That makes me half-criminal, then," Keith shrugged.

The woman sighed, "fine, we'll hear you out, but only if you watch your behavior."

"And keep your claws to yourself!" said her assistant.

Keith hadn't even realized his claws had appeared. They were measly and pathetic compared to the pure-blooded Galra. It was almost laughable for strangers to treat them as threatening. He contained his amusement.

"Shiro," Keith said, turning back to Shiro, "maybe you should negotiate."

 

* * *

Shiro smiled, patting Keith on the back. He stepped forward.

"Before I explain, I think we should introduce ourselves," he said, making the woman raise one eyebrow. Something about her made him... _nervous_. He looked at Keith, but he didn't look nervous. Weird.

"I'm Hunk!" the only human in the room, besides Shiro, greeted.

"Lance," said Lance, "yeah, like the weapon, _Keith_ ," he added, with some bite to his tone.

"I'm Coran, the royal adviser to Altea."

"The remains of Altea," said the woman, coldly, "which _your_ people destroyed."

Keith looked less calm and collected.

"That's..." he looked at Shiro, who nodded back patiently, "... I'm sorry, I'm only just learning how bad the empire is. They don't mention those things to... people like me."

The Holo stopped hiding behind Hunk, and Shiro tried not to think about the prisoners he'd seen; the ones that started _everything_ , "I'm Pidge, another victim of the empire."

"Sorry," said Keith, quickly, squeezing his eyes shut. Shiro gave him the best reassuring look he could muster, but it was futile; Keith wasn't going to open his eyes until attention was diverted from him.

"Princess Allura of Altea," the woman finally introduced herself, looking at Shiro after taking one puzzled glance at Keith, "and, you are?"

"Shiro," he said, congratulating himself mentally for not stumbling on that one word, "this is Keith, he helped me escape and he found the Red Lion."

 

Allura didn't look impressed.

"Did he?" she said, "and, you mentioned that Zarkon was keeping it?"

Keith nodded. He wanted Shiro to talk.

Shiro wasn't the best at telling stories, but he tried his best. He told them about the arena battle; averting his eyes from the Holo listening with intent. He told them about Zarkon battling him after he'd sworn to protect the prisoners, the arena falling into chaos, waking up in the medical bay, their plans of escape, and their help from Thace of all people...

Keith had opened his eyes and started pacing at that part. Nobody stopped him.

Then, before Shiro could start talking about their journey to Zarkon's Armory, Keith stopped pacing.

"I remembered something," he said, then his ears flattened back like they did when he got flustered, "as we were escaping, I mean. But, it wasn't _my_ memory. I think someone was trying to tell me something, and sent some type of... vision."

"Don't leave us hanging, tell us!" Lance urged.

Keith scowled, his mouth twitching.

"It told you where to go, didn't it?" Shiro offered as an explanation.

"Not... just that," he shook his head, sounding more distressed than Shiro had ever heard him, "there was fire, and two people were arguing. One felt like the fire was my fault, whilst the other one..."

Shiro followed his gaze, to Lance. Lance was cringing under the two pairs of eyes.

Keith looked away, and Shiro followed suit.

"The first person was made of smoke, and she said she'd trust me if I promised to protect her family," Keith firmly stated, "but, the fire itself... I didn't understand it, but now..."

He looked at Allura and Coran.

Shiro was half-worried that Allura was going to attack them.

Shiro was also half-worried that Keith would start crying. Even though Keith _never_ cried, not in front of people he didn't trust or knew would ridicule him for it.

"Altea," said Pidge, "you saw Altea burning."

Keith nodded, "I think I was shown that for a reason," he said, nodding again for extra measure, "you have to trust me, Allura."

Allura looked tense, "fine," she managed to spit out, "but if anything happens, we're taking you down."

Keith nodded, "fine," he replied, though he didn't sound as angry as Shiro had anticipated. 

 

"Right," said Coran, chuckling nervously, "where were we?"

"Voltron," offered Pidge.

"Voltron," and Shiro echoed them, finding the words were... familiar, somehow.

"Yes," said Allura, "our only hope of stopping Zarkon."

Hunk peered at Shiro and Keith, "we need all five of the lions to form it," he stated, "somehow."

"Exactly!" he said, then moved over to the control panel in the middle of the large circular room, pressing a few holographic buttons. Five holograms appeared, each shaped like lions in varying sizes.

"There's Blue," Lance gestured to one of the holograms, his tone excited, "that's my girl!" he added, grinning at Hunk. Hunk laughed.

"The Guardian Spirit of Water," Allura nodded, smiling, "symbolizing patience and selflessness."

Keith snorted.

"The Red Lion," said Coran, before Lance and Keith started fighting, "the Guardian Spirit of Fire."

That explained a lot; like the fiery temper, and Keith moving as quick as a flame.

"Pidge, your Lion," Coran continued, pointing to the smallest of the holograms, "that's the Green Lion, the Guardian Spirit of the Forest."

Pidge looked down, "that's why I found it in the deep forests of my planet," they replied.

"It was the best place to hide it," Coran said, then cleared his throat abruptly, "then, there are the unclaimed ones... the Yellow Lion and the Black Lion."

Shiro suddenly shuddered. Something about the 'Black Lion' made him uneasy, as if he wasn't allowed to hear about it.

"The Guardian Spirit of Land, and the Guardian Spirit of-"

"-Sky," he interrupted Allura, "uh, sorry," he quickly added, when Allura gave him another puzzled look.

"Quark," said Hunk, which meant nothing to Shiro, "I thought of 'Land' when I heard 'Yellow Lion'."

Coran suddenly smiled, widely, "ah, good, I think we've found the new paladins, princess."

Allura frowned, "perhaps... but, none of them have been trained... and we don't have the _time_ to train them properly."

"We'll just need to learn faster," said Pidge.

"Yeah!" Lance cheered, "we'll complete training and kick Galran butt faster than you can say 'Voltron'!"

Coran went back to the holograms, "which moves us onto Voltron itself," he said, "training or not, if we can find and assemble all Five Lions, we'll have Voltron back!"

He moved his hand, and the five holographic lions phased together. A new hologram appeared, some form of robotic warrior.

"Just like _Power Rangers_ ," Shiro heard Lance say, and assumed that; judging by the amazed tone of his voice; was something good.

Shiro associated the hologram with something else. The story his mother had told him. The memory had awoken for a reason.

"I've heard of something like this," he said, as the hologram fizzled out and Coran began musing to himself, "my mother told me about something called the 'Beast King', and how he lost against the Goddess of the Universe. She split him into five pieces and scattered him across the universe."

"That's all that survived from our history?" Allura looked at Shiro, as if his recollection had personally offended her, "didn't the Galra brag and tell their empire about how they killed us?" then, she turned to Keith.

"No," he said, "if they did, they wouldn't be so... popular."

"They control the press?" Lance jumped into the conversation, "geez, and here I thought aliens would be _above_ that."

 

Coran had watched the exchange with discomfort, Shiro noticed.

"We'll never get anything done if we keep thinking about the past," he said, "the story I heard isn't any help to us, I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"But, it's true to _some_ extent," Coran replied, his discomfort being shrugged off, "when Zarkon began demanding our people for the Lions, our King Alfor hid them. He knew the danger the universe faced if Zarkon controlled Voltron."

"We have three," said Lance, "where are the other two?"

Coran and Allura exchanged looks.

Allura closed her eyes, then spoke, "Coran, tell them where the Yellow Lion was hidden. This will give them a chance to prove to us that they can work together, and become true paladins of Voltron."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll give you twenty fake internet bucks if you can guess my favorite ship from this chapter, that's totally not gonna be added to the story in later chapters or anything ;^).  
> Loonng time updating, I know. But, hey, at least the plot's developed more?  
> Also, Season 3 both destroyed my headcanons and renewed my love for Voltron. Pretty good, my friendos.


End file.
